Chicago AfroBeat Project

Chicago Afrobeat Project (CAbP) is a seven- to 14-piece world music ensemble^[1] with many influences, including afrobeat, Afro-Cuban, funk, jazz, jùjú music, and rock. The members are well versed in afrobeat, the musical style of Fela Kuti. Based in Chicago, the band began in 2002 in a loft at 657 West Lake Street. Beginning in 2005, the band began touring with many years performing more than 100 times per year.

The group is sometimes accompanied by African dancers from Chicago's Muntu Dance Theatre as well as Ayodele Drum & Dance. The group has released four studio efforts between 2005-2013 all recorded at Fullerton Recording Studios. In the summers of 2013 and 2014, the band collaborated with Fela Kuti's original drummer, Tony Allen, for a series of performances and recording sessions at Fullerton Recording Studios.

Members

• David Glines - Guitar
• Kevin Ford - Keyboards, Studio Shaman
• Garrick Smith - Baritone Saxophone
• Angelo Garcia - Tenor Saxophone
• Ryan Tedder - Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Keyboards, Guitar
• Mark Thomson - Trombone
• Xavier Galdon - Trombone
• Parris Fleming - Trumpet
• Antar Jackson - Vocalist
• Danjuma Gaskin - Percussion
• Luc Parcell - Bass
• Geoff Shell - Bass
• Chadwick - Painter (select shows)
• TJ Okulnola - Talking Drum (select shows)
• Tosha Alston - Dancer (select shows)
• Imania Detry - Dancer (select shows)

Awards

• 2014 - Best International/World Music Act: Chicago Reader's "Best of Chicago 2014^[2]"
• 2014 - Winner, Best African Entertainer: Chicago Music Awards
• 2013 - Tied for Runner-Up, Best International/World Music Act: Chicago Reader's "Best of Chicago 2013"
• 2013 - Rhapsody Music Top 25 World Music Albums (Nyash UP!)^[3]
• 2012 - Winner, Best African Artist: Chicago Music Awards
• 2011 - Winner, Best African Artist: Chicago Music Awards
• 2010 - Winner, Best African Artist: Chicago Music Awards
• 2009 - Winner, Best African Artist: Chicago Music Awards
• 2008 - Winner, Best African Artist: Chicago Music Awards
• 2006 - Nominated for Chicago Music Award's "Award of Honor for Contribution to World beat Music"
• 2005 - Nominated Best African Artist: Chicago Music Awards
• 2004 - Nominated Best African Artist: Chicago Music Awards

Selected Festivals

• Chicago World Music Festival (2003, 2006, 2013, 2015)
• Utah Arts Festival - Salt Lake City, UT (2008, 2012) ^[4]
• CIMMfest (Chicago International Movies & Music Festival) - Chicago, IL (2016) ^[5]
• Summerfest - Milwaukee, WI (2014, 2015) ^[6]
• North Coast Music Festival Official After Party (with Tony Allen) - Chicago, IL (2014) ^[7]
• Bear Creek Music Festival - Live Oak, FL (2008) ^[8]
• High Sierra Music Festival (2007, 2008) ^[9]
• Wakarusa Music Festival (2006, 2008)
• Detroit Concert of Colors - Detroit, MI (2014) ^[10]
• Boogie on the Bricks - Athens, OH (2016) ^[11]
• Evanston Ethnic Arts & Music Festival - Evanston, IL (2016)
• Celebrate Clark Street - Chicago, IL (2007, 2008, 2016) ^[12]
• Green Eggs & Jam - Leavenworth, KS (2015)
• Merchant Street Music Festival - Kankakee, IL (2015) ^[13]
• Logan Square Arts Festival - Chicago, IL (2015) ^[14]
• Felabration - Denver, CO (2014) ^[15]
• Deschutes Brewery Warehouse Party - Bend, OR (2014) ^[16]
• Sweet Pea Festival - Bozeman, MT (2014) ^[17]
• Ann Arbor Summer Festival - Ann Arbor, MI (2014) ^[18]
• Arcadia Creek Festival Place - Kalamazoo, MI (2014) ^[19]
• Reggae in the Mountains - Ketchum, ID (2013)
• Windy City Ribfest - Chicago, IL (2013) ^[20]
• Artoberfest - Benton Harbor, MI (2013) ^[21]
• Andersonville Midsommarfest - Chicago, IL (2012) ^[22]
• Groovefest - Cedar City, UT (2012)
• Dubuquefest - Dubuque, IA (2012) ^[23]
• Starwood Festival (2011)
• Traverse City Summer Microbrew and Music Festival - Traverse City, MI (2010) ^[24]
• Camp Euforia - Lone Tree, IA (2010) ^[25]
• Mid Summer Meltdown Music Festival - Kempton, PA (2010) ^[26]
• Truckee Reggae Fest - Truckee, CA (2009)
• Taste of Chicago - Chicago, IL (2009)
• Bele Chere Music Festival (2005, 2006)
• Chicago's Summer Dance Series (2005, 2007, 2010)
• Summer Camp Festival (2005, 2007, 2008)
• Vassar College Jazz Festival (2005, 2006)

Guest musicians

• Tony Allen - 2013, 2014
• Sugar Blue - 2013
• JC Brooks - 2013
• Sahr from FELA! on Broadway - 2012
• Jeff Parker
• Howard Levy
• Bobby Broom
• Diverse
• Fareed Haque
• Paul Wertico

Discography

ALBUMS

• Nyash UP! - CAbP Music (2013)
• (A) Move to Silent Unrest - CAbP Music (2007)
• Chicago Afrobeat Project - CAbP Music (2005)

EPs

• Off the Grid EP - CAbP Music (2009)

COMPILATIONS FEATURED

• Rough Guide to Afrobeat Revival (2009)

Notes

1. Recoil Magazine 2007 Archived October 1, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
2. "Best international/​world music act". Retrieved 2016-07-04.
3. "Rhapsody: "Top 25 World Albums of 2013"". Retrieved 2016-07-04.
4. "Utah Arts Festival - Past Performers at the Utah Arts Festival". Retrieved 2016-07-04.
5. "Chicago Afrobeat Project : LIVE SCORE DANCE PARTY!!! - CIMMfest". 2016-04-15. Retrieved 2016-07-04.
6. Green, Christie. "Summerfest June 25 line-up". Retrieved 2016-07-04.
7. "North Coast Music Festival After Parties Toast Of The Coast". Retrieved 2016-07-04.
8. "Bear Creek Fest Lineup". 2008-09-09. Retrieved 2016-07-04.
9. "Past Lineups - High Sierra Music Festival". Retrieved 2016-07-04.
10. "Saturday Night Dance Parties: (Concert of Colors "Tune-Up") Chicago Afrobeat Project and Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca | Midtown Detroit Inc.". midtowndetroitinc.org. Retrieved 2016-07-04.
11. "2016 Lineup | June 25, 2016 | 12pm – 11pm". boogieonthebricks.com. Retrieved 2016-07-04.
12. "Celebrate Clark Street World Music Festival". Celebrate Clark Street World Music Festival. Retrieved 2016-07-04.
13. [email protected], John. "MusicFest draws thousands for 40 bands". Retrieved 2016-07-04.
14. 2595 N. Milwaukee, Chicago Logan Square IL; 41.92871;-87.70678; location!, Be the first to review this. "Logan Square Arts Festival: Helado Negro, Chicago Afrobeat Project, Serengeti, KRSA, Conjunto, and others". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2016-07-04.
15. "Felabration! - A Celebration of the music of Fela Kuti feat. Dave Watts (The Motet), members of Euforquestra and members of Atomga w/ Chicago Afrobeat Project - Tickets - Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom - Denver, CO - October 18th, 2014". Cervantes' Masterpiece. Retrieved 2016-07-04.
16. "Jungle Cross Warehouse Party". www.visitbend.com. Retrieved 2016-07-04.
17. "Chicago Afrobeat Project". 2014-05-12. Retrieved 2016-07-04.
18. "This weekend at Top of the Park/Ann Arbor Summer Fest, June 27–29: Robert Cray and Mavis Staples, Transe Express and more". Retrieved 2016-07-04.
19. "Kalamazoo Island Fest returns for 19th year | WMU News | Western Michigan University". wmich.edu. Retrieved 2016-07-04.
20. "Uptown Update: Windy City Rib Fest Coming to Lawrence and Broadway This Weekend". www.uptownupdate.com. Retrieved 2016-07-04.
21. "The afrobeat goes on". Retrieved 2016-07-04.
22. "Andersonville Midsommarfest (6/9/2012)". ChicagoPride.com. Retrieved 2016-07-04.
23. "Music on the Town Clock Stage: Chicago Afrobeat Project | DubuqueFest Fine Arts Festival". dubuquefest.org. Retrieved 2016-07-04.
24. "Who's playing and who's pouring at this year's Traverse City Microbrew & Music Festival". Retrieved 2016-07-04.
25. KindWeb. "Camp Euforia VII: Iowa's Premier Independent Music Festival: KindWeb News Articles". www.kindweb.com. Retrieved 2016-07-04.
26. "Jibberjazz". Retrieved 2016-07-04.

References

• CityBeat January 9, 2010
• The Urban Flux - "Chicago Afrobeat Project Brings Funk-Infused Dance to Le Poisson Rouge" February 9, 2011
• Recoil Magazine - interview with Nick Stephenson December 2007
• NUVO - "Chicago Afrobeat Project" by Paul F. P. Pogue

External links

• http://www.chicagoafrobeatproject.com