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This article originally appeared in the The Daily Page in Madison.

Chicago Afrobeat Project has been touring the country for the past five years playing festivals and clubs from coast to coast. Throughout the journey the band has really built a stong following and found a home away from home in Madison, which made it an obvious choice of cities to expand the First Beat series to. On the first Thursday of every month for the rest of the year the band will perform two long sets at Cafe Montmartre.

Several years ago Chicago Afrobeat Project began playing the first Saturday of every month at the Note in Wicker Park. The shows started late and lasted until 5AM. A few shows in, the series became known as “First Beat.” It has since moved to the Kinetic Playground in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. Due to its great success the band decided to expand First Beat beyond Chicago and into other cities. Every first Wednesday they play at Otto’s in DeKalb and beginning October First Beat comes to Madison. Cafe Momo, as its referred to, was the club that hosted Chicago Afrobeat Project’s first Madison show many years back.

Chicago Afrobeat Project’s high-energy explosive live show fuses African percussion rhythms, intricate jazz solos and most of all a strong beat that can get any music fan of any age out of their chairs and onto the dance floor. While the size of the group varies from show to show, you can expect a tight rhythm section, tons of percussion, a powerful horn section and occasional vocal chants. Their live show will consist of material from their new album as well as other other released and unreleased originals. They also might throw in a Fela cover or two and ‘afrobeatized’ versions of rock, hip-hop or jazz tunes.

In other news, Chicago Afrobeat Project will be releasing their second full length studio album a few days before the First Beat Kick-Off show. The street date for (A) Move to Silent Unrest is Tuesday October 2, 2007. The album contains seven lengthy original tunes and as with all Chicago Afrobeat Project releases, a portion of album sales benefits Journalists Against AIDS Nigeria (JAAIDS), a non-profit organization based in Lagos, Nigeria that develops creative communication programs to help combat the spread of AIDS in Nigeria.

This article originally appeared in the St. Louis University News.

Afrobeat is a sound that is regaining popularity around the world, with the help of one group in particular-Chicago Afrobeat Project-working to bring this musical genre out of obscurity.

“Afrobeat is based on many different musical genres,” said Kevin Ford, the band’s keyboardist. “It’s based on funk, rock, jazz, Afro-Cuban and a whole lot of other genres.”

The genre takes the variety of musical influences and settles them into a hypnotic, dance-compelling pulse. The style became popular in the early 1970s by an African musician named Fela Ransome Anikulapo of Nigeria. Anikulapo wanted to change the musical landscape and stop the British music invasion in Africa.

The band is composed of nine members: Ford (keyboards), Graham Czach (bass), Angelo Garcia (tenor saxophone), David Glines (guitar), Marshall Greenhouse (drum set), Garrick Smith (baritone saxophone), Mark Thomson (trombone), Danjuma Gaskin (percussion) and George Jones (percussion). The members have been together for five years.

“The best part of being in this band,” Ford said, “is making the music, that we get to play a fresh style of music is really a lot of fun. We have different music backgrounds, all of us, but we’re able to make great music together.” Each member of Chicago Afrobeat Project comes from a different music background, which they like to incorporate into the band’s music.

“We like to stretch the style of the music,” Ford said. “We are able to be innovative while at the same time remain in the music style.”

Even though the band is known as the Chicago Afrobeat Project, the members are from all over the country, including St. Louis.

“We do have Cards fans in our group,” Ford said, “but I have to say that I hope the Cubs make it to the series, because I have tickets if they do.”

Chicago Afrobeat Project has just completed and produced its second album, (A) Move to Silent Unrest (CAbP Music, 2007). The album incorporates all of the different musical backgrounds of the members, while remaining true to the genre’s roots.

“Right now we’re just promoting the CD,” Ford said. “We’re hopefully trying to go on tour in Europe and Africa. But right now we’re just focused on the current tour and CD.”

Be on the lookout: Afrobeat is making a comeback, and it is being led by the diligent, hard-working and talented Chicago Afrobeat Project.

This article originally appeared in Minneapolis World Beat.

Afrobeat music does not stand still. Like their funky African forefathers, the Chicago Afrobeat Project (CAbP) will keep the crowds moving. The band mixes polyrhythmic, infectious grooves with political awareness and even hints of hip hop with their horns. The group will be strutting their stuff at the Cedar Cultural Center on Friday, October 5th at 8:00 pm in Minneapolis.