Kaleta & Super Yamba Band

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Fanny Texier

Colorfully dressed seven-piece band.

Kaleta & Super Yamba Band

The Brooklyn-based Afro-funk dance band blew the crowd away at June’s Waterfront Festival. Band leader and jùjú music veteran Leon Ligan-Majek grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, the birthplace of Afrobeat. Before settling in New York City he toured with the heavies, including King Sunny Ade (for more than 10 years) and Lauryn Hill. Things get super hyped and psychedelic in their show and then — BOOM — utterly familiar when Kaleta screams and growls with the abandon of James Brown.

$20 ($15 adv.).

media release: Breakout group Kaleta & Super Yamba Band will take their lauded live show back on the road this summer and fall with an extensive run of North American dates. The shows kick off in Colorado Springs, CO tonight, August 9 and include debut festival appearances at Brooklyn’s Afropunk, Chicago’s World Music Festival and Louisville’s The Big Stomp as well as a performance at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Tickets are on sale now at superyambaband.com.

“It is really joyous to hit the road again. The break felt like an eternity. The audiences are so appreciative,” says frontman Kaleta. “You can tell by the way they express their gratitude like they’ve been waiting for too long. It being our first tour of the Rockies also adds to the excitement. So far it has been fulfilling. We are looking forward to giving awesome shows which we are known for.”

“Everywhere we go you can tell audiences have been missing live music. Especially when you hit them with some exciting dance music. It’s been so fun seeing the responses of all the joyous crowds that we’ve played for this year,” furthers drummer Daniel Yount.

Brooklyn-based Super Yamba Band is fronted by Afrobeat and Juju veteran Leon Ligan-Majek a.k.a. Kaleta. The singer/guitarist was born in the West African country of Benin Republic and grew up in Lagos, Nigeria where Afrobeat was born. Kaleta's guitar chops earned him decades of touring and recording with Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, Lauryn Hill and more.

In 2019, the group released their debut album Mèdaho on Ubiquity Records, drawing on the band’s shared reverence for the raw psychedelic sounds that captivated Kaleta as a Afrobeat pioneer. The album was included on Bandcamp’s “Best Albums of Summer 2019” while two of the songs were featured in Hulu’s hit TV series “High Fidelity”  starring Zoe Kravitz.

Since its release, Kaleta and his band have performed at major music festivals both stateside, including a performance at the historic Apollo Theater as part of Africa Now! Festival. In addition, the group appeared on VICELAND’s “The Untitled Action Bronson Show” while also playing Paste Magazine’s Emerging Music Festival.

Kaleta & Super Yamba Band are Kaleta, Yount, Evan Frierson (percussion), Walter Fancourt (sax), Sean Smith (trumpet), ​​Eric Burns (guitar) and Oladotun “Prince” Amu (bass).