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Chopteeth (The Kennedy Center)

Chopteeth

Chopteeth is a 14-piece Afrofunk orchestra exploring the common groove between the funkiest, most hip-shakin’ West African and American popular music on the planet. The core of the Chopteeth sound is Afrobeat: a big-band funk invented by Fela Kuti in 1970’s Nigeria. Afrobeat is a spicy stew of Yoruba tribal music and West African pop.  Chopteeth then mixes in classic Ghanaian funk, Senegalese rumba, Jamaican ska, and stirs it with choice selections from the James Brown catalog for an intoxicating infusion of righteous grooves. The massive result is a swirl of energetic melodies and call-and-response choruses, driven by interlocking drums and percussion, punctuated by a dynamic six-piece horn section.

Watch Past Performances

Chopteeth 1/25/08: Chopteeth

The 14-piece Afrofunk orchestra combines Afrobeat, modern jazz, Yoruba tribal music, and James Brown–inspired rhythms with Ghanaian dance tunes, Senegalese rumba, and Jamaican ska.

Chopteeth

The 14-piece Afrofunk orchestra combines Afrobeat, modern jazz, Yoruba tribal music, and James Brown–inspired rhythms with Ghanaian dance tunes, Senegalese rumba, and Jamaican ska.
Summer Social Dance Series: Chopteeth 6/2/06: Summer Social Dance Series: Chopteeth

Dance to the sounds of Chopteeth, a 14-member Afro-funk orchestra that mixes Afro-beat—a big-band funk invented by Fela Kuti in 1970s Nigeria—with Ghanaian funk, Senegalese rumba, Jamaican ska, and choice selections from the James Brown catalog.

Summer Social Dance Series: Chopteeth

Dance to the sounds of Chopteeth, a 14-member Afro-funk orchestra that mixes Afro-beat—a big-band funk invented by Fela Kuti in 1970s Nigeria—with Ghanaian funk, Senegalese rumba, Jamaican ska, and choice selections from the James Brown catalog.
Chopteeth 7/30/05: Chopteeth

Chopteeth, a 14-piece Afro-funk orchestra, mixes Afro-beat, a big-band funk invented by Fela Kuti in 1970’s Nigeria, with Ghanaian funk, Senegalese rumba, Jamaican ska, and choice selections from the James Brown catalog.

Chopteeth

Chopteeth, a 14-piece Afro-funk orchestra, mixes Afro-beat, a big-band funk invented by Fela Kuti in 1970’s Nigeria, with Ghanaian funk, Senegalese rumba, Jamaican ska, and choice selections from the James Brown catalog.

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