Kotoko Brass (feat. Mohammed Alidu) with Maine Marimba Ensemble

Inspired by the traditional drum rhythms of Ghana, Kotoko Brass has created a unique, joyful, and improvisational style of West African dance music described by the Boston Globe as “propulsive, infectious party music.”

The drums provide the heart and soul of Kotoko Brass, merging syncopated African percussion polyrhythms with hard-hittingdance grooves on the drumset. The horns blend traditional sounds of New Orleans with the famous West African brass band sound heard from Ghana to Nigeria, and the guitar, keys, and bass evoke classic African and Caribbean styles of highlife, Afrobeat, and reggae. A celebratory and energetic synthesis of music, people, and cultures from around the world, Kotoko Brass features musicians from Ghana, Antigua, Japan, and the United States playing together in unity. In the U.S., Kotoko Brass has shared the stage with Angelique Kidjo, Femi Kuti, and Vieux Farka Toure, and on their debut tour of Ghana in 2023, they had the honor of performing for Ashanti King Nana Osei Tutu II.

Maine Marimba Ensemble performs complex polyrhythmic arrangements of traditional and contemporary Zimbabwean music on handcrafted marimbas.