Kobo Town — Concert — Musée du quai Branly — Event — Slash Paris

Past: Sunday, May 17, 2015 at 5 PM

Founded by the Canadian writer and composer Drew Gonsalves, originally from Trinidad, Kobo Town is also the name of a historic quarter in Portof-Spain, near the fishermen’s wharf, which was the site of constant defiance and conflict during colonial domination. It is also where calypso was born. By exploring the lyrical tradition and the rhythms which founded calypso, Kobo Town tries to show the contemporary relevance of this music. Domestic violence, the Iraq war, the paradoxes of globalisation, the dependency of the Caribbean islands, and the bitter experience of immigration are some of the themes addressed in their repertoire. They share a desire to revive these types of music — mento, reggae-roots,ska, dub poetry and calypso -, with acoustic instrumentation, and with no hesitation in heading in modern creative directions. Whilst exploring new sounds and arrangements, their songs also re-establish satire, story and social preoccupations, giving Kobo Town a truly unique style: understated, groovy, subtle, poetic and militant.

Drew Gonsalvez: cuatro, guitar, voice; Robert Milicevic: drums; Derk Thorne: percussions; Linsey Wellman: flute, saxophone; Roger Williams: bass; Patrick Giunta: guitar; Cesco Emmanuel: guitar; Jan Morgan: trumpet