The JoGo Project is a 2x WAMMIE* Award-Winning Go-Go band led and created in 2014 by Washington, DC native and international Jazz artist Elijah Jamal Balbed. In 2012, while a student at Howard University, Elijah was afforded the rare opportunity to play with the Godfather of Go-Go Chuck Brown. Elijah was 21, and Chuck was 74. Elijah continued playing with "Pops" (as the band affectionately called him) until his passing the following year. A couple years later, Elijah was accepted into the Artist-in-Residence program at Strathmore where he debuted The JoGo Project - a multi-generational, multi-genre ensemble created to continue the legacy Chuck left behind, to bring his Jazz and Go-Go worlds closer together, and to discover new sounds throughout the process.


Now celebrating 12 years of JoGo, Elijah and the band have stood the test of time and made several notable accomplishments. 

 

In 2017, members of the band had the opportunity to write and record original Go-Go music for the Ubisoft game "Tom Clancy's The Division 2", which takes place in a dystopian future version of Washington, DC. In 2018, the band traveled to 4 different cities in Russia to perform concerts and conduct workshops as a part of a cultural diplomacy tour on behalf of the U.S. State Department. In 2019, JoGo won their first WAMMIE Award in the category of Best Go-Go Song for their collaboration with vocalist JusPaul entitled “Dear Draylen” featuring Wes Felton. In 2020, the band released their debut holiday track “JoGo Christmas” featuring Go-Go legend Sugar Bear. In 2023, another collaboration with vocalist JusPaul entitled “Baby Fever” received a WAMMIE nomination for Best Go-Go Song. In 2024, the band signed with the Growroom Productions record label and subsequently released an uptempo original funk song dedicated to Chuck Brown and The Soul Searchers entitled “(That) JoGo Groove”. The track features vocalist Bravo Reds and longtime P-Funk trombonist Greg Boyer, and garnered JoGo their second WAMMIE Award in the category of Best Funk Song. The band's most recent offering is a 4-track EP entitled “Keeping the Faith Alive in 2025”. 


 

The JoGo Project has appeared at Blues Alley, Fort Dupont, The Kennedy Center, Strathmore, The Wharf, Keystone Korner, Black Rock Center for the Performing Arts, Pearl Street Warehouse, Missy Lane's, Capital Jazz Fest, DC Jazz Festival, College Park Jazz Festival, Mt Vernon Street Fest, Yonkers Outdoor Concert Series, Tenafly Outdoor Concert series, and many other venues, festivals, and concert series. Currently, The JoGo Project maintains a consistent performing schedule in the DC area, as well as occasional appearances in other regions and countries. 

Follow @jogoprojectofficial or go to www.jogoproject.com to stay up to date on what’s going on in the world of JoGo! Music and merch can also be found at jogoproject.bandcamp.com.

*WAMMIE is an award given to notable DC-area artists annually - originally created by the Washington Area Music Association (WAMA), now facilitated by The Musicianship.