NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Cuban funk pioneer Cimafunk and New Orleans brass powerhouse The Soul Rebels have created a musical bond in recent years that will be on full display under the stars during Jazz Fest. On Friday evening, April 29th, two unique musical cultures rooted in centuries of tradition—Cuba and New Orleans—will come together for a night of musical magic at the Broadside Cimafunk, the Havana-based alchemist of Afro-Cuban grooves and straight-up Funk has found a kindred spirit in the people and music of New Orleans. “I can’t wait to get back to my home away from home, New Orleans, to get funky with my brothers, The Soul Rebels,” says Cimafunk.
These collaborative bonds took root during his inaugural trip to the States in spring 2019, when Cimafunk and his band performed their first show in New Orleans, where they shared the stage with The Soul Rebels. The result—instant musical synergy. Since then, Cimafunk and The Soul Rebels have performed together on numerous occasions (New Orleans, Miami and New York City) and recorded the genre-defying single “Caliente.” In January 2020, Cimafunk and his band hosted The Soul Rebels along with a cavalcade of New Orleans musical icons—Trombone Shorty, Anders Osborne and Tank & the Bangas—at the “Getting Funky in Havana” festival and cultural exchange trip in Cuba.
“The Soul Rebels and Cimafunk is a musical conversation between two countries—Cuba and New Orleans—because New Orleans is its own country,” says Julian Gosin of Soul Rebels.
The coming together of two of the world’s most important and vibrant musical cultures will put on display the modern manifestation of how music from the African diaspora was given life and transformed in both places. For centuries, New Orleans musicians have been influenced by the sounds of our neighbors to the South, and now both Cimafunk and the Soul Rebels bring these worlds together to create music that is both modern and timeless.
WHAT: Hep Cat Entertainment Presents: Cimafunk and The Soul Rebels
WHEN: Friday April 29 th 2022. Doors 7pm/Show 8pm
WHERE: The Broadside, 600 N. Broad Street, New Orleans, 70119
TICKETS: www.broadsidenola.com $35
