African Music Concerts Week of Jan 23 - Jan 31

This is somewhat outside the realm of typical African fare, but why pass up the opportunity to see Me'shell Ndegeocéllo with only 100 other people in the room? She is appearing as the bassist for Black Gold, and the group will also feature Jahi Sundance on turntables.

A comedic movie set in Burkina Faso is just the thing to whet your appetite in preparation for the annual Pan African Film Festival. This screening is part of the free Francophone series sponsored by UCLA. A military veteran is imprisoned after failing to pay his debts after overextending himself based on a promised pension. Community women rally to save him.

African Highlife done in the Ghanaian jazz style is Blay's shtick. He fronts the band with some great saxophonists and gets the audience swinging to the harmony. A nice upbeat tone to the whole fun evening.

This show has been cancelled.

LA has had a contingent of Cameroonian bassists living and playing around town for quite some time. You may have heard the others, but Armand has only done a couple gigs in the past few years. He has embraced American rock much more than his compatriots, but his skill on the bass alone is enough to watch him play regardless of the musical style. And besides, you may find out you like the path he is cutting through uncharted musical territory.