Band Profile - Baba Ken & Kotoja

Genre - Dance , Funk , World

We sound like - Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Hugh Masekela, James Brown

Hometown - Oakland, California

Bio - KOTOJA, Nigerian Afro-Beat Comprised of a heady mix of top Nigerian and American musicians, KOTOJA, led by Nigerian bassist/vocalist BABÁ KEN OKULOLO, has excited audiences around the U.S. with their infectious mix of African highlife, juju, funk, and jazzy horns. KOTOJA's animated, powerful shows, featuring Okulolo's original songs and vocals, brighten the scene with bubbling dance rhythms jazz-informed musicianship, and an uplifting, universal message that brings music lovers to their feet. The band's national tours and three album releases ("Freedom Is What Everybody Needs" and "Sawale" on Mesa Recordings, "Super Sawale" on Putumayo) have won critical acclaim: "A WINNING COMBINATION...AN INTOXICATING BREW...A WILD HYBRID OF STYLES FROM HIGHLIFE TO JUJU TO SOCA AND REGGAE" --Tower Pulse "IT'S FANTASTIC MUSIC...I JUST LOVE IT'--Hugh Masekela "THE RHYTHM IS SOLID AND THE MUSIC GENUINELY UPLIFTING"--Downbeat "KOTOJA HAS A FERVENT FOLLOWING FOR ITS MIX"--Entertainment Weekly "LILTING VOCALS, SOULFUL HORNS, CHURNING PERCUSSION--AND OKULOLO'S SUPPLE BASS LINES, FIRMLY HOLDING IT ALL TOGETHER. GREAT GROOVES!"--Bass Player Magazine "A VITAL POP EXPERIMENT WHERE CONSISTENTLY HARD RHYTHMS HIDE FANGS BENEATH A SUNNY SHEEN"--The Beat

Motto - Life is short, enjoy when you can

Influences - Afrobeat, Afro-pop, Afro-soul, Afro-Jazz, Afro-funk, Juju, Highlife

Discography - "Freedom Is what everybody needs" 1998 Inner Spirit Records, "Sawale" 1990 Mesa Blue Moon Records. "Super Sawale" 1997 Putumayo World Music

Contact us - Baba Ken or Jackie Wilson--510-655-3357

Email - kaokulolo@aol.com

Website - http://www.AfricanMusicSource.com

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