Concerts

Tété & Eric John Kaiser

Thursday, March 25th, 7 p.m.

Baird Auditorium, Natural History Museum.
1000 Constitution Ave, Washington, DC
Gen. Admission $25
Resident Associate Program and Alliance Members $20
Online purchase at:instantseats.com or ResidentAssociates.org
Phone: 202 633 3030

Modern Troubadours Tete and Eric John Kaiser
Completely self-taught, Tete arrived in Paris in 1988 and began performing in the city's streets, cafes, and bars. His work is more in the spirit of Western singer-songwriters than of the griots of his native Dakar, Senegal. Inspired by the Mississippi delta blues, his music blends the pop, folk, and blues influences that shaped his early musical life.
Parisian native Eric John Kaiser tops off the evenning. Kaiser's modern pop-rock borrows from many genres, including rock, hip-hop, and reggae. Inspired by such musicians as Neil Young, Dylan, Manu Chao, and the Rolling Stones, his lyrics are often a mix of French and English, reflecting his French-American dual citizenship. Kaiser has performed in France, Australia, Hong Kong, Ireland, Canada, and the U.S.
Organized with support of the Delegation Generale de l’Alliance Francaise aux Etats Unis and the Alliance Francaise of Washington, DC

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Rokia Traoré

  In Collaboration with George Washington University

  Sunday, April 11th, 7 p.m.

  Lisner Auditorium of GWU
  730 21st Street, NW
  Washington, DC 20052  

  Tickets are $25, $30, $35. Available at Lisner box office,
  Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster phone 202-397-SEAT.
  Online at TicketMaster.com. A 10% discount for Resident
  Members(use code SMITH) and
  for Alliance members (use code AFR)

It all started with a sound inside Rokia Traoré's head. The adventurous Malian singer-songwriter and guitarist knew that she wanted to create a musical style that was “more modern, but still African, something more blues and rock than my folk guitar.” Then she heard an old Gretsch, the classic electric guitar so beloved by American rockabilly bands of the '50s and '60s, and played by everyone from Chet Atkins to George Harrison. That was the sound she had been looking for and it brought a fresh dimension to her songs.

In concert, her blend of traditional African rhythms and instruments—the balafon (wooden percussion) and ngoni (African lute)—with the sounds of her electric guitar has earned her recognition as one of Africa's most innovative musicians.