FREE, Outdoor, All-ages Summer Concerts in Century Park
NEW ANNOUNCEMENT:
SATURDAY, JULY 16
BAABA MAAL
Classixx
Brazilian Girls
DJ set by Aaron Byrd
PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED:
SATURDAY, JULY 9
EDWARD SHARPE AND THE MAGNETIC ZEROS
Imarhan
DJ set by Jason Bentley
SATURDAY, JULY 23
NAS
Wild Belle
DJ set by Garth Trinidad
KCRW and the Annenberg Foundation are pleased to announce the final lineup for the 2016 Sound in Focus series – three, free, all-ages concerts held at Century Park in Century City, home of the Annenberg Space for Photography.
On Saturday, July 16 Senegalese singer/guitarist Baaba Maal performs a headlining set with L.A. duo Classixx in a live band performance, and New York’s free-form, jamming quartet Brazilian Girls opening. To start things off, KCRW’s Aaron Byrd spins a DJ set.
Previously announced artists are Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Imarhan, and KCRW Music Director Jason Bentley on July 9th and Nas, Wild Belle, and KCRW DJ Garth Trinidad on July 23rd.
Admission to the Sound in Focus series is free; however, RSVP is required for entry but does not guarantee admission, which will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis. Registered guests must collect wristbands upon arrival at check-in to gain access to the concerts. Advance registration is available at KCRW.com/soundinfocus and is required for every show.
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Baaba Maal’s work is a modern twist on the West African tradition of the griot: the storytelling troubadour. Born into a large family of fishermen in the Fouta town of Podor in 1953, Baaba Maal studied music in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, and Paris, and embarked on a two-year musical pilgrimage around West Africa with his friend Mansour Seck. He then recorded albums with Seck, including the desert blues classic Djam Leelii, and with the band Daande Lenol (The Voice of the People). Since the 1980s, he has released several solo albums, toured the world several times over, worked with Hans Zimmer on the soundtrack to Black Hawk Down, and collaborated with the likes of Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, Tony Allen and U2. Despite his international perspective, he has always acknowledged his roots by singing in Pulaar, the Fulani dialect of the Senegal River valley.
Like a balmy breeze from a world of endless summer, Classixx are back with Faraway Reach, a buoyant follow-up to their 2013 debut – something to cruise to with the top down, from festival fields to the beach, from the dance floor to the shotgun seat. The album traverses locales, vocalists and inspirations. It’s a fitting movement for the duo, from Venice beach to the mountains of South Africa and everywhere in between.
Brazilian Girls’ music incorporates bits of reggae, electronica, jazz, bossa nova, and you name it. Despite their name, no one in the band is Brazilian. The sexy/quirky/mysterious group is comprised of three men – Didi Gutman on keyboards and computers, Jesse Murphy on bass, and Aaron Johnston on drums – and one woman, Sabina Sciubba, the vocalist who often enjoys wearing lacy eye masks on-stage and sings in no less than five different languages.
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The 2016 Sound in Focus concert series takes place at Century Park in the centerpiece park adjacent to the Annenberg Space for Photography and Skylight Studios. Both exhibition spaces will stay open late on these evenings (until 11pm) so that the concertgoers may enjoy both the concerts and REFUGEE, the current exhibition at the Photography Space, as well as the Skylight Studios installation New Americans. Powerful and timely, REFUGEE features original images commissioned exclusively for the exhibition, and illuminates the global refugee crisis through the eyes of five internationally acclaimed photographers. A documentary short and VR experience accompanies the exhibition. The multimedia installation New Americans shares the inspiring stories of refugees who are building new lives after being resettled in the United States.
Concertgoers will have the opportunity to show their support for the thousands of families forced to flee for their lives each day by signing UNHCR’s #WithRefugees petition in the Photography Space, Skylight Studios or online. The petition calls on world leaders to work together and do their fair share for refugees, and will be delivered to UN headquarters for the UN General Assembly in September.
There will also be food and refreshments available for purchase from a wide variety of cafes and food trucks that can be enjoyed on the grassy lawn beneath the shimmering Century Plaza Towers at Century Park, and beer gardens for those 21 and over.
KCRW and the Annenberg Foundation first united in 2012 for a string of hugely successful summer music events to accompany the Who Shot Rock & Roll exhibit. 2014’s Country in the City series not only spotlighted emerging and established artists in the genre, but was part of the Annenberg Foundation’s 25th anniversary festivities. Last year’s series saw thousands of concertgoers enjoy headlining performances by TV on the Radio, De La Soul, Dwight Yoakam, and Cold War Kids.
About KCRW
KCRW creates and curates a unique mix of content centered around music discovery, NPR news, cultural exploration and informed public affairs. We are driven by the spirit of LA and deliver in innovative ways — on the radio, digitally and in person — to diverse, curious communities around the corner and around the world. A community service of Santa Monica College, KCRW can be found on the air in LA, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Mojave, Palm Springs, and via five KCRW-developed smart phone apps and online at kcrw.com.
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About the Annenberg Foundation
The Annenberg Foundation is a family foundation that provides funding and support to nonprofit organizations in the United States and globally. Since 1989, it has generously funded programs in education and youth development; arts, culture and humanities; civic and community life; health and human services; and animal services and the environment. In addition, the Foundation and its Board of Directors are directly involved in the community with innovative projects that further its mission of advancing a better tomorrow through visionary leadership today. Among them are Annenberg Alchemy, Annenberg Learner, Annenberg Space for Photography, Explore, GRoW and the Metabolic Studio. The Foundation encourages the development of effective ways to communicate by sharing ideas and knowledge.