Singer, songwriter, and actor Somi Kakoma was originally set to debut her self-composed musical about Miriam Makeba in the spring of 2020. The pandemic postponed … Read More “Somi: Zenzile: The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba (Salon Africana)”
This recording documents a May 2019 meeting between vocalist Somi and the titular German outfit (also known as the hr-Bigband)—her first collaboration with a big … Read More “Somi: Holy Room: Live at Alte Oper with Frankfurt Radio Bigband (Salon Africana)”
The section of Harlem along and around West 116th Street is known as Little Africa—or, in French, Petite Afrique—a vibrant jumble of African immigrants, their … Read More “Somi: Petite Afrique (OKeh/Sony Masterworks)”
Born in Illinois to parents from Uganda and Rwanda, Somi has always felt the pull of Africa. She has visited much of the continent, and … Read More “Somi: The Lagos Music Salon”
If you’re familiar with the phenomenal TED (Technology, Entertainment & Design) program and its annual conferences in support of “ideas worth spreading,” then you’ll appreciate … Read More “Somi: Live At Jazz Standard”
She floats and flutters like a swatch of chiffon caught in soft cross-breezes, her cream ‘n’ sugar, Sade-meets-Astrud Gilberto voice riding gentle waves of guitar, … Read More “Somi: If The Rains Come First”
