Town Hall Seattle and SAMA: Music+Art present
Featuring Gustavo Ovalles, percussion
Note: A livestream of this event will also be available.
The Atlantic Ocean separates Cuba and Senegal, the respective birthplaces of piano virtuoso Omar Sosa and kora master Seckou Keita, a distance diminished by their shared ancestral connection to Africa.
Recorded during lockdown and released in October 2021, Sosa and Keita’s second album SUBA is a hymn to hope, to a new dawn of compassion and real change in a post-pandemic world, a visceral reiteration of humanity’s perennial prayer for peace and unity. Joining Omar and Seckou in the studio and for live performances is the inimitable Venezuelan artist Gustavo Ovalles.
Watch: Omar Sosa & Seckou Keita SUBA Trio – Tiny Desk Concert
“Sosa and Keita deliver a work that variously ebbs, flows and sparkles.” (Jane Cornwell, Jazzwise)
About Seckou Keita & Omar Sosa
When the pair met in 2012, Seckou loved Omar for his musical spirituality, whilst Omar saw in Seckou a rare ability to collaborate but not lose his identity. Their debut album Transparent Water (2017) was hailed as ‘beautiful, rhapsodic… spiritual’ (Songlines) and ‘mesmerising, evocative and sophisticated’ (World Music Central).
Sosa has released over 30 albums throughout an incredible career that has included nominations for seven GRAMMY or Latin GRAMMY awards; Keita is a multi-award winner, most recently as the prestigious BBC Radio 2 Folk Musician of the Year (2019).
About Gustavo Ovalles
The Venezuelan percussionist and teacher Gustavo Ovalles studied many techniques, styles of music, and dances, before collaborating with international artists like Omar Sosa, Julien Lourau, Minimo Garay, Orlando Poleo, Seckou Keita, Yilian Canizares, and Juan Diego Flores.
His commitment on stage, his knowledge of traditional Venezuelan instruments, his sensitivity in interpretation, and his unmistakable technique make him an exceptional musician and artist.
Presented by Town Hall Seattle.
Starting at 6:00PM, mingle in the Lobby and enjoy food for purchase from local food vendors; specialty beverages will also be available at our cafe. Come early, get some dinner, and immerse yourself in the flavors of the culture before the show.
Presented in association with SAMA: Music + Art
Media Sponsor: KEXP
Support provided by: National Endowment for the Arts