Elikeh set to wow the crowds at Black Cat

Written by Shirlene Alusa-Brown

Elikeh Afropop is having a party at the Black Cat to celebrate the release of its new Album “Between 2 Worlds”. If you haven’t heard of Elikeh Afropop, you are in for a treat.

Mixing the traditional musical sounds of Togo, a West African country, with an eclectic collection of beats and rhythms (jazz, funk, rock) that create a wonderful musical journey, they continue to push the boundaries of musical genres, forcing us to search for a new category of genre to describe them.

Elikeh was founded by Serge Massama Dogo, a former Musical Director at the Universite du Benin (Lome) in Togo. The band boasts an accomplished set of musicians, including Clayton Englar who studied with the late saxophonist Joe Henderson; Scott Aronson who served as bass player for top Togolese pop star, King Mensah when he played in the area; Frank Martins who has played with top Nigerian musicians, OJ Ekemode and Sunny Okosun; Aaron Pratts who studied with Buddy Collette; Megan Nortrup, a veteran of the DC Funk Squad, the Claudius Linton band; Jeremy Calligan, who has played with such artists as Rising Sun Reggae Band, Armand Ntep, Shabaka, Yusef, Pure Light Seed, and Eme & Heteru; Gabin Assouramou who has toured with groups in Europe, and West and Central Africa; and Josh Kay has played with Deborah Bond & Third Logic, Basshound, The Funk Ark, House of Soul, and Global Noize. To learn more about Elikeh, visit their website.

Elikeh will be joined by two great bands that will open the show for them. Alma Tropicalia is a group that melds Brazilian rhythm and psychedelic pop for a sound that promises to get you on your feet. They will also be joined by The Chariots who play old-school ska/reggae classics, and ‘rude boy’ contemporary reggae. This will definitely be a show worth watching.

As if that isn’t enough, Elikeh will be joined on stage by John Kadlecik (of Furthur and John K Band) and Head Roc, the Mayor of DC hip-hop.

Tickets are $12 with doors opening at 9:00 p.m. The show starts at 9:30 p.m. You can purchase the tickets on the Black Cat website.