Mandingo Ambassadors every Wednesday night at Barbes in Brooklyn

Afropop got to sit down with the Mandingo Ambassadors at Barbes where they play every Wedneday night at 10pm.

Here's what our senior editor Banning Eyre had to say about the Mandingo Ambassadors

"If you step into a New York club where the Mandingo Ambassadors (Ambassedeurs du Manding) are playing, and close your eyes, you go back in time, and across the Atlantic to Guinea, West Africa, in the 1960s. In the flush of Guineas independence from France, visionary African dictator Sekou Touré used music to forge a national identity. He funded bands from all over the country, selecting the most talented players through rigorous competitions, and nationalizing top bands in state-supported nightclubs in the capital, Conkakry. Although the Mandingo Ambassadors consist of four Guineans and four Americans (most of whom have studied music in Guinea), the sound is, as founder and lead guitarist Mamady Kouyaté proudly proclaims, 100-percent Manding with mellifluous, Latin-tinged rhythms and vocal melodies, and fleet, stinging electric guitar lines drawn from Guineas centuries-old traditions of Manding music."
-Banning Eyre for Guitar Player Magazine

Our featured venue, Barbes, is a huge supporter of African music! It's a very homey, chill environment. Good drinks, great dancing! check out their current schedule for more shows at barbesbrooklyn.com

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Mandingo Ambassadors
• Afropop
• Afropop Worldwide
• Mamady Kouyate
• Oran Etkin
• Sylvain Leroux
• Guinea
• Briana Berry