New York City, March 15 — Since its premier in April 2003, The New York City Acoustic African Music Series has received critical and audience acclaim for its commitment to social and ritual musical traditions from Africa. This series has gained a reputation for offering an uncommon and compelling interaction with traditional musical forms in concert settings that are accessible to Western audiences yet remain culturally relevant to musicians. From unadulterated renditions of Ghanaian drumming to modern incarnations and artful interpretations of griot music; from Royal Court music to solo guitar, the Acoustic African Music Series has encompassed a range of styles and countries. On April 24 the past 12 months culminates in a celebration at Satalla, featuring Dolsi-naa Abubakari Lunna and The Agbekor Society, The Fula Flute Ensemble, and Mamadou Guissé and Bakh Yaye, three of the Series' hardest hitting West African ensembles, and hosted by Banning Eyre.

Acoustic African Spectacular is a one-of-a-kind convergence of three remarkable ensembles, each representing a different musical tradition from West Africa: talking drum music of the Dagomba people from Northern Ghana, with Drum Chief Dolsi-naa Abubakari Lunna and the Agbekor Society; Fulani flutes and griot music of the Mande Empire from The Fula Flute Ensemble; and djembe music of Mali and Senegal, performed by Mamadou Guissé and his 10-piece djembe ensemble, Bakh Yaye.

Designed to evoke the experience of a West African festival, the event will include a marketplace, raffle of African instruments donated by Ashione Art Gallery, and a DJ spinning African dance music at midnight. It will open with a drum processional led by Dolsi-naa Abubakari Lunna, the guest of honor and the only one among the performers who is currently based in Africa. His processional will blur the distinction between performer and audience and invite people to draw closer into the traditions of Dagbon. This is a rare opportunity to interact with a revered chief and true master who is widely regarded as one of the foremost musical figures in Dagbon. He performs with the Agbekor Society, led by Professor David Locke, a professor of ethnomusicology at Tufts University and Dolsi-naa's student and partner in Dagomba music studies.

Taking the stage at Satalla for their first appearance in New York since their sold-out performance at Zankel Hall, The Fula Flute Ensemble adds their distinctive music and high-energy presence to the celebration. Their sound is a inimitable blend of music of the tambin, the traditional flute of the Fulani people in Guinea, with griot music from Mali and Guinea. Thus, the evening will unite the music of Dolsi-naa, whose life and art is devoted to tradition, with the music of new traditionalists.

Mamadou Guissé and Bakh Yaye, the stars of Winter Djembe Fête '03 at the Acoustic African Music Series, return to offer an explosive finale to the live music section. Together, they weave a matrix of heart-pounding rhythms and melodies from Mali and Senegal interspersed with awe-inspiring drum solos and accompanying support movements.

Banning Eyre, Senior Editor of Afropop Worldwide and author of In Griot Time: An American Guitarist in Mali will open the celebration with a brief guitar set before taking on his role as host. Banning, who closed out the guitar exhibition at the Acoustic African Music Series in March, is widely regarded as authority in the study of African music, especially guitar. As host, he will introduce each ensemble and contextualize the music, helping the audience gain a greater appreciation for what they are hearing and seeing.

Where's the 1? Productions was founded to promote traditional music from across Africa, and is dedicated to elevating these musics to planes of understanding and respect that reflect their beautiful, sophisticated, relevant, and living nature. The Acoustic African Music Series provides musicians with a unique performance space and the freedom to play the ritual, social, joyful, and ceremonial music of their countries and regions. Admission for Acoustic African Spectacular is $18.

About the Artists:
Dolsi-naa Abubakari Lunna
Dolsi-naa, who premiered the series April 5, 2003, has returned to the United States from his home in Dagbon for a three-month period as teacher and performer. The title "Dolsi-naa" signifies that Abubakari Lunna is a drumming chief. He is a luna (plural: lunsi), a member of a hereditary lineage of drummers who are keepers of Dagomba history, experts on cultural values and customs, and advisors to political chiefs. He is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished and knowledgeable of the lunsi. The drum that Dolsi-naa plays is also called luna. It has a wooden body carved into an hourglass shape and two goatskin heads that are connected by leather cords. In the expert arm of a drummer like Dolsi-naa, the squeeze-and-release of the luna ropes artfully controls the drum's pitch and resonance, replicating spoken language. A master like Dolsi-naa could drum for an entire evening and narrate just a small portion of the story of the people of Dagbon. The Agbekor Society is a non-profit organization founded by Dr. Locke in 1979 that facilitates the study and performance of traditional African performing arts and culture.

The Fula Flute Ensemble:
At the heart of the Fula Flute Ensemble's unique sound is the little-known tambin, the flute of the Fulani people (also called Peulh) from Guinea. This tambin is specific to the Fouta Djallon highlands of Guinea, an area dominated by Peulh culture. It is noted for its characteristic voice/flute effects, its multi-phonics, and its relationship to musical language through storytelling. Rarely is the tambin so eloquent as in the hands of Fula Flute front man, Bailo Bah. Bah was the flautist for the Ballets Koteba for 22 years and toured with the famous show Africa Oye. Sylvain Leroux performs opposite Bah, their duets creating graceful layers of counterpoint and exchange. Beneath these layers lies the relentless musical foundation of Mande jelis. Born into a hereditary musicians' lineage, jelis are storytellers, genealogists, historians, and political and social advisors. They remain, to this day, counselors of kings and heads-of-state. The jeli core of Fula Flute is Famoro Dioubate, Yacouba Sissoko, Abdoulaye Diabaté, members of some of the most respected lineages of all time. Rounding out the rhythm section is bassist and long-time student of African music, Peter Fand. www.fulaflute.net

Mamadou Guissé and Bakh Yaye:
Three years ago, Mamadou came to the United States to become Lead Drummer and Music Director of Maimouna Keita School of African Dance. His ensemble, Bakh Yaye consists of musicians from West Africa and the United States, many of whom are also instructors at his school. Bakh Yaye features four drums of the djembe family: djoun-djoun, sanbang, kinkine, and djembe. These drums range in pitch and timbre from deep and resonant to high and piercing. Djoun-djoun, considered the mother of the family, is responsible for keeping time and creating the backbone melodic ostinato. The sanbang and kinkine, both considered the children, play the middle and highest pitched sounds, respectively. The djembe is considered the father of the family. Within the ensemble, there are usually several backing djembe parts, and multiple djembe soloists. As a family, these drums create sophisticated musical conversations.