Main Stage

Saturday, July 10th · 5:30pm

Occidental Brothers Dance Band Int'l featuring Samba Mapangala

Voted Best World Music Group in Chicago by the Reader in 2008, the Occidental Brothers Dance Band Int'l is lead by Old Town School guitar teacher Nathaniel Braddock and features Congolese music legend Samba Mapangala. The O'Bros perform classic Central and West African dance music specializing in soukous, Highlife, Dry Guitar, and Rumba while Mapangala led his Orchestra Virunga for 20 years to the top of the East African music scene with their countless hit records. The collaboration of these two entities results in an uplifting, synergistic groove. The Occidental Brothers live is an incendiary, communal event and Welles Park is sure to turn into a dance floor while this group is holding court.

"The band blends Central and West African dance beats with elements of jazz and underground rock, creating a vibrant musical cocktail for dancers in the July sun." -- Chicago Social

OccidentalBrothers.com
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