Programs
R&B Festival at MetroTech
Produced by Danny Kapilian
BAM kicks off the summer with its free lunchtime concert series at MetroTech Commons, on the corner of Flatbush and Myrtle Avenues in Downtown Brooklyn. The outdoor summer series features an eclectic roster of legendary trailblazers and emerging musical visionaries of R&B and world music. Past performers have included George Clinton, Maceo Parker, Los Lobos, Jimmy Cliff, the Wailers, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Salif Keita, Amadou and Mariam, Toumani Diabate, and Blitz the Ambassador.
Read more about R&B Festival at MetroTech.
Legendary Twin Cities R&B band Mint Condition—recently inducted into the Soul Music Hall of Fame—mix neo-soul and Latin influences to create their tight sound.
R&B luminary and former Chitlin’ Circuit star Bobby Rush—whose hits include “Bowlegged Woman, Knock-Kneed Man” and “Chicken Heads”—brings his unfiltered style to the BAM R&B Festival at MetroTech.
Benin-born singer and guitarist Kaleta—a former collaborator of Fela Kuti and King Sunny Ade—leads his 13-piece Zozo Afrobeat Orchestra in their locked-in politically conscious groove music.
The Stooges Brass Band—a Crescent City institution recently crowned “Best Contemporary Brass Band” at the 2011 Big Easy Music Awards—specialize in mixing hip-hop and R&B with tuba-driven, second-line funk.
A tremendous singer and keyboard player in the mold of Aretha Franklin, soul and gospel artist Avery*Sunshine brings her message of healing to the BAM R&B Festival at MetroTech.
Singer-songwriter Fatoumata Diawara is Mali’s number one rising star, penning outspoken songs that marry guitar- and vocal-driven jazz, pop, and funk with elements from her ancestral Wassoulou tradition.
Best known as Prince’s drummer on Sign ‘O’ the Times, Black Album, and Lovesexy, Sheila E. has performed or recorded with everyone from Marvin Gaye to Cyndi Lauper and Beyoncé.
Shuggie Otis, son of R&B impresario Johnny Otis and writer of hits like “Strawberry Letter 23,” “Someone’s Always Singing,” and “Ice Cold Daydream,” plays the BAM R&B Festival at MetroTech.