Oct 7th
JOE LOVANO
NAGOYA, JAPAN
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Oct 7th
BAD PLUS, THE
SAO PAULO, BRAZIL
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Oct 7th
DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE
CHAMPAIGN, IL
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Oct 7th
CHRISTIAN SCOTT
BERN, SWITZERLAND
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Oct 7th
KATHY MATTEA
DECATUR, GA
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Baaba Maal 2006 Tour

June 7th --

For the first time in two years Senegalese master musician Baaba Maal will bring his unique blend of traditional West African song, Senegalese pop, reggae and dance to the U.S. In 2004 Maal toured with his acoustic ensemble, but this year he will perform with Daande Lenol, his full 13 piece electric band featuring blind griot Mansour Seck, who have not performed in the U.S. since 2002. The tour kicks off in Denver on June 13 and culminates in New York on July 2nd.

With a dozen solo and collaborative albums behind him, Baaba Maal is a man with a mission beyond his music. In his role as Youth Emissary for the United Nations’ Development Program, Baaba Maal is committed to the concerns of families, young people and the future of his continent. When he tours the world, his role as a representative of the United Nations’ Development Programme is never far away. Both elements come together when Baaba features in musical projects such as the Fela Kuti Tribute “Red Hot and Riot,” put together by HIV/Aids awareness campaign group The Red Hot Organisation.

In February 2005 Baaba was the special guest speaker for a lecture at the British Museum where he gave his views on Africa, speaking passionately and eloquently of the continent’s strengths and its challenges. On April 1st 2005 he sold out a special performance at the UK’s Royal Festival Hall. He was then invited to headline Glastonbury’s Jazz World Stage on June 25th and also to lead a show of solidarity with the Make Poverty History Campaign with Bob Geldof. On July 2nd Baaba made a speech in support of Make Poverty History in Edinburgh, and addressed the rally in advance of the G8 Summit at Gleneagles.

TOUR DATES
June 13     Denver CO         Botanic Gardens
June 14     Boulder CO        Chautauqua Auditorium
June 16     San Francisco CA  SFJAZZ Festival (Masonic Auditorium)
June 17     Los Angeles CA    Playboy Jazz Festival (Hollywood Bowl)
June 18     Santa Barbara CA  Live Oak Music Festival
June 19     San Diego CA      Humphreys Concerts by the Bay
June 21     Santa Cruz CA     Rio Theater
June 22     Lake Tahoe CA     Crystal Bay Club
June 23     Boonville CA      Sierra Nevada World Music Festival
June 24     Seattle WA        The Showbox
June 25     Vancouver WA      Center for the Performing Arts
June 26     Victoria BC       Royal Theatre Jazz Festival
June 27     Roseburg OR       Music on the Half Shell
June 28     Portland OR       Oregon Zoo
June 30     Boston MA         Somerville Theatre
July 1      Montreal QC       Le Spectrum Jazz Festival
July 2    New York NY       Irving Plaza