Elikeh

Fri. Nov 30, 2012 at 9:00pm EST
21 and Over
Price: $10.00
21 and Over
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Event Stats
Price: $10.00
21 and Over
Event Description
Adje!Adje! by Elikeh


Elikeh mixes funk, rock, jazz with traditional west African rhythms (Togolese polyrhythms) to produce captivating Afro-pop tunes that are as listenable as they are danceable. Although based in indigenous traditions, Elikeh's music has no borders, exploring global themes and personal odysseys.

Serge Massama Dogo - (lead vocals & guitar) - Born and raised in Togo, Massama developed his deft songwriting ability beginning with several high school bands playing reggae, pop, rock in Lome. While at the Universite du Benin (Lome), Massama acted as musical director of the University Orchestra from '97 " '99. Upon his arrival in the US in 2000, he began performing with various groups in the DC area.

Clayton Englar - (sax & flute, vocals) - Clayton has been playing sax since the age of 12. Living in San Francisco during the 1970²s he studied with the late saxophonist Joe Henderson, and played with and co-led a variety of bands, including the jazz/fusion quartet Thursday Group " with which he recorded and co-produced 2 albums shortly after moving to the Washington, D.C. area in 1980. Since then Clayton has played actively with an eclectic mix of groups, including his own Windmill Saxophone Quartet, the jazz/world/fusion sextet Equinox, and the Con Moto Flute and Guitar Duo. He has produced 3 albums with Windmill and 1 with Equinox " including 2 on his own label, Global View Music.

Scott Aronson - (bass) - Scott was born on Long Island, NY and moved to DC full time in 1996. He has been playing the bass since the age of 15 up and down the East Coast. Scott is a founding member of the Wammie Award winning DC alt power pop band, Bicycle Thieves, which has been together since 1996. He has also served as bass player for top Togolese pop star, King Mensah, when he has played the in the area. Influences include Jack Bruce, Sting, Geddy Lee, Victor Wooten and Charles Mingus. Scott believes in the old adage: you can't hold no groove, if you ain't got no pocket!

Frank Martins - (guitar) - From Nigeria, Frank is a master guitar player. He performed with many great names of the Nigeria scene including OJ Ekemode and Sunny Okosun. Frank settled in Washington, DC after many years traveling the word as a professional musician. Frank's guitar playing brings lots of energy and great feel to Elikeh's sound.

Aaron Pratts - (trumpet) - Aaron is a native of Southern California and has been playing trumpet since he was 9 years old. During Aaron's formative years in Los Angeles he studied with Buddy Collette co-founder of JazzAmerica.Throughout school there were virtually no bands that Aaron did not play with "symphonic, marching, orchestra, and jazz and wind ensembles. In 1999, Aaron was awarded the John Phillips Sousa Band Award for superior musicianship, dependability, loyalty, and cooperation and Brass Instrumentalist of the Year in 1997 and 1998. In San Diego Aaron played with San Diego State University's (SDSU) Jazz Ensembles for over 4 years. Aaron brings all this experience to Elikeh's horn section, and has been a member of the band since early 2009.

Megan Nortrup - (saxophone) - Megan is a Maryland native who has been playing the saxophone since an early age. She earned an undergraduate degree in music at the University of Illinois , Urbana-Champaign, where she studied with Debra Richtmeyer and Ron Bridgewater. She has toured nationally and internationally and is a veteran of the DC Funk Squad, the Claudius Linton band, and numerous other groups. As a saxophonist, Megan draws inspiration from some of the great jazz players of the 20th century including Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, and the Caribbean side of Sonny Rollins. Megan is the newest addition to the Elikeh horn section and her solid and energetic playing really fill out the band's sound.

Jeremy Calligan - (piano, organ) - Jeremy began studying classical piano at the age of seven and found himself quickly progressing to the works of Chopin, Rachmaninoff, and Ravel. As a youth, he became enamored with the sounds of fusion jazz and strived to emulate artists such as Chick Corea, Miles Davis and John McLaughlin. He began studying jazz under the tutelage of Maryland native, Tom Harrison. At age 18, he was awarded a Talent in the Arts scholarship at Frostburg State University where he performed with the FSU Jazz Ensemble and studied with Dr. Joan DeVee Dixon and Dr. Jon Bauman. A year later, Jeremy saw the need to expand his horizons and picked up and moved to the Washington, DC area. Since then, he has performed for numerous political dignitaries including President George W. Bush and Congressman Roscoe G. Bartlett. In 2006, Jeremy was introduced to the world of Afro-beat and was immediately transfixed. He has played with such artists as Rising Sun Reggae Band, Armand Ntep, Shabaka, Yusef, Pure Light Seed, and Eme & Heteru. He has been a member of Elikeh since 2010.

Gabin Assouramou - (drums) - Gabin grew up in Benin in West Africa. At a young age, he started playing percussion with traditional music groups and later learned the guitar, trumpet and drum set. He has toured with groups in West and Central Africa, as well as in France, Belgium, Germany, and Sweden. He has recorded with a wide variety of artists from Benin. A master of African rhythms, he also enjoys playing reggae, jazz, and Latin music.

Josh Kay - (conga & percussion) - Born and raised in the DC area, Josh has been playing hand percussion for over 10 years performing and recording with a wide range of local and national talent playing genres from Funk, Neo Soul, Afro Beat and everything in between. These projects include: Deborah Bond & Third Logic, Basshound, The Funk Ark, House of Soul, Global Noize, and proudly now, Elikeh! Josh was asked to join the band in early 2010, and has brought a high level of energy to the stage, and has helped strengthen the already solid rhythm section. He draws inspiration from some of the great percussionist including : Sola Akingbola, Giovanni Hidalgo, Tito Puente, Raul Rekow, Karl Perrazo, Sikiru Adepoju, Zakir Hussain, and Cyro Baptista to name a few.
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Venue Details
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Thunderbird Cafe 4023 Butler St
Pittsburgh, PA 15201