Africa Brass

It’s simply great news that the Congo Square Festival, now officially and appropriately dubbed the Congo Square New World Rhythms Festival, returns to its historic locale at Congo Square in Armstrong Park. The event (March 24-25), which was previously held in the fall, has jumped into the spring, a move that puts it in the position of kicking off New Orleans’ incredibly active festival season.

It appears as if the presenter, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, really wanted to kick the free festival up a notch. Perhaps in celebration of it being held again in Congo Square, where it hasn’t taken place since 2009, the activities have expanded to two days that boast a wonderfully ambitious musical line-up of international and local acts. Other venues, such as St. Claude Avenue’s Healing Center, will also host events in association with the Congo Square Festival.

In many respects, the expressively modern group, Africa Brass, represents the continued lineage that has long linked New Orleans and the African continent. The forward-thinking band, which plays often in the Crescent City and has enjoyed an ardent following, performs as part of the Ogden Museum’s ongoing series on Thursday night, March 22 and on Saturday, March 24, at 1 p.m. at the Congo Square New World Rhythms Festival.

Exceptional musicianship defines the ensemble that is lead by Guinean Thierno Dioubate on balafon and djembe drums with New Orleans saxophonist Tim Green, tuba player Matt Perrine, trombonist Charles Joseph and percussionist Jeff Klein and also often features vocalist Michaela Harrison and clarinetist Brian Asher. The elements of the band that speak most strongly of the African/New Orleans connection are the shared rhythms and the deep sense of spirituality. The musicians’ diverse musical and cultural backgrounds – African Dioubate, creative jazz saxophonist Green, traditional trombonist Joseph — excitingly highlight its "we are one" aura. - Louisiana Weekly