The Spirit Men, Hasan Bakr and Kevin N. Hylton, will be performing for the evening’s special Black History Month event. The presentation is made in partnership with the Symphony Space Global Arts Cultural Literacy and Heritage program. Experts in the music of Africa and the African Diaspora, the Spirit Men perform an array of traditional and original compositions, encouraging audiences to clap and dance along with them. Using their voices and a multitude of unique instruments including the mbira, kora and the shekere, the group weaves a tapestry of percussion patterns and melodies.
Hasan Bakr studied with the great masters: Baba Feami Akinlana on conga, Chief Bey on shekere, Nana Vasconcelos on berimbau and body percussion, the legendary Little Ray Romero on timbales and Mbemba Bangoura on djembe. Kevin Nathaniel Hylton pioneered the use of mbiras on the New York world music scene, having trained with legendary Zimbabwean mbira master Ephat Mujuru. He has composed and recorded mbira for the audio version of Alice Walker’s Possessing the Secret of Joy, and the film Beloved, starring Oprah Winfrey.
Please join us for this exciting event on Monday, February 23 from 7:00 to 9:00 PM in the Recreation Center, 100 La Salle, basement level.