New Year's Eve w/ JoGo Project
John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St NW, Washington, DC
JoGo will perform the after party and ball drop in the Grand Foyer of the Kennedy Center for New Year's Eve! Tix at www.kennedy-center.org
The JoGo Project is a genre-blending ensemble inspired by the musical stylings of Chuck Brown. Founded in 2014 by Elijah Jamal Balbed, the band performs all over with the mission of keeping Go-Go music alive. The band features several DC natives, as well as musicians from around the country who have since claimed DC as their home, as you'll hear in the song "DC's Been Good To Me". JoGo is known to put on an eclectic live show that excites and unites audiences of all walks of life.
What is Go-Go?
Go-Go music is the indigenous genre from Washington, DC created by the legendary Chuck Brown - the "Godfather of Go-Go". It is known for a steadily funky beat, heavy percussion, and most notably lots of crowd participation via call and response. Go-Go in DC is like Reggae in Jamaica or Bossa Nova in Brazil. It's the sound of the city!
What is JoGo?
A band trying to keep Jazz and Go-Go musics alive, while making the world a better place. In addition to a band, JoGo is a concept. It's continuing the tradition that Chuck Brown started of taking jazz standards, covers, and even movie/television themes and putting them over a Go-Go beat. Jazz + Go-Go = JoGo!
How was the band formed?
The band was formed by saxophonist Elijah Jamal Balbed as a culmination of his residency at Strathmore in May of 2014. Elijah was fortunate to perform with Chuck for the last year of The Godfather's life, which inspired Elijah to continue Chuck's legacy by starting a group of his own.
Booking:
thejogoproject@gmail.com
Photo courtesy of Darwyn Dave Photography
Latest Release
A tribute to Draylen Mason and features some of D.C's top talent. Written by Elijah Balbed and JusPaul, the track unites Go-Go and Jazz with Pop sensibilities
