Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars - Tuesday 03.04.2008
w/ Chicago Afrobeat Project
With a spirited and infectious fusion of traditional West African music, roots reggae and classic rhythm & blues, Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars craft music that transforms and uplifts. The collection of songs on their debut album Living Like A Refugee, decry the insanity of war and call out for social justice while instantly compelling you to get on your feet and dance. They have lived through unimaginable tragedy and yet Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars have become an inspiration and a symbol of the healing power of music.

Championed by The New York Times, critic Stephen Holden wrote, “As harrowing as these personal tales may be, the music buoying them is uplifting. The cliché bears repeating: music heals and creates community.” Be it via the warm, percussion-steered delights of “Akera Ka Ambonshor”, the spirited skiffle of “Soda Soap” or “Refugee Rolling,” where uprooted souls manage to rise above uncertainty with inexplicable finesse, Living Like A Refugee is proof that that there is always hope to be found.

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Afrobeat cannot stand still. As the genre’s tempting sounds continue a resurgence across the globe, Chicago Afrobeat Project (CAbP) remains true to its original vision of breathing the intensity of Chicago’s rich music scene into the infectious sounds of afrobeat. Rather than become caricatures of the genre, CAbP slips a reverent nod to the tradition while delivering an energized originality different from any other band on the afrobeat scene today. At each of its 100+ live performances a year, the group’s frenzied songs hit audiences with a big enough one-two punch to tirelessly knock them onto the dance floor time and time again. Afrobeat’s range of influences — funk, rock, jazz, afro-cuban, high life and juju music – settle into a hypnotic, dance-compelling pulse at the core of CAbP. The group layers a fiery originality around this core through high-energy rock and experimental jazz. The trance-like grooves that hold the floor in the tradition are pushed to new borders in CAbP’s second and self-produced album, (A) Move to Silent Unrest. In it, the group keeps true to the mix of respect to the tradition and forward-thinking experimentation that shine through in their live performances. The individual players, coming from diverse backgrounds, each hold their own as soloists that ultimately characterize the live shows. Melodic and hard-hitting horn lines create a lyrical flow to the music, delivered by a cutting, driven rhythm section dynamic. Complex call-and-response percussion songs are dispersed throughout the performances. At select shows, African dancers from Chicago’s Muntu Dance Theatre accompany the band. Added up, the music is packaged with original songwriting that explores the stylistic reaches of afrobeat and a few classic covers delivered true to form.

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Band Information
Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars
Reuben M. Koroma — band leader, lead vocals
Francis John Langba 'Franco' — rhythm guitar, kongroma, vocals
Abdul Rahim Kamara 'Arahim' — vocals, percussion
Efuah Grace — vocals
Alhaji Jeffrey Kamara 'Black Nature' — rap, vocals
Mohamed Bangura Medo' — vocals, percussion, kongroma
Ashade Pearce — lead guitar, vocals
Mustapha Massaquoi 'Nico' — drums, percussion
Idrissa ‘Malam’ Bangura — bass guitar
Geassay 'Jah Sun' Dowu Bull — lead guitar, percussion
Mohammed 'Makengo' Kamara — vocals, percussion

Chicago Afrobeat Project
Kevin Ford — Keyboards
Angelo Garcia — Tenor Saxophone
David Glines — Guitar
Marshall Greenhouse — Drums
Garrick Smith — Baritone Saxophone
Mark C. Thomson — Trombone
Graham Czach — Bass
Danjuma Gaskin — Percussion