The music of the African continent is brought to life by the musicians on this stellar bill.

Since the early 1990’s, Zap Mama has reigned supreme as one of the premier groups in world music. And they’ve done this by largely ignoring the label of “world music.” Founded by Zaire native Marie Daulne, Zap Mama specializes in a form of evocative vocal technique that Daulne learned from the pygmy tribes of her homeland. At heart, the Zap Mama sound is based on the harmonic and percussive sounds that the five members make using nothing but their voices. Over the years, Daulne has added instrumentation and contemporary touches to the group’s style, and worked with people like Common, King Britt, Erykah Badu, Nelly Furtado and The Roots. Time magazine has noted "Marie Daulne and Zap Mama make music that sounds like a one woman multicultural movement, melding African percussion, American soul and European urbanity."

Angelique Kidjo also knows a thing or two about cultural fusion. The West African singer has been exploring the common ground between the Beninese music she grew up with, and the classic soul and rock she came to love. Her latest album, Djin Djin (“seize the day”) is a masterful blend of world music styles--Afro-funk, reggae, salsa, gospel, zouk and makossa—with contemporary sounds, and features guest appearances from Amadou & Miriam, Peter Gabriel, Ziggy Marley, Alicia Keys and Carlos Santana (this last on a mesmerizing cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter.”)