BBC Proms 2019 : Angélique Kidjo, Royal Albert Hall, London (GB) - Jul 30, 2019

Angélique Kidjo presented her tribute to Celia Cruz. So we had a great salsa/boogaloo concert with impressive singing backed by a tight band underpinned by heavy bass and percussion. Kidjo put on a great performance, dancing, singing and rousing the audience to do the same. The band were Philippe Slominski trumpet, Michael Joussein trombone, Allen Hoist tenor sax, Dominic James guitar, Thierry Vaton keyboards, Michael Olatuja bass guitar, Magatte Sow percussion and Edgardo ‘Yayo’ Serka drums. Roberto Fonseca, piano, guested. The setlist was: Baila Yemara, Cucala, Crosseyed And Painless, Sahara, Oya Diosa, Houses In Motion, Quimbara, Toro Mata, La Vida Es Un Carnarval, Elegua, Once In A Lifetime, Bemba Colora, Afirika, Tumba and the encore Makeba’s Pata Pata with its kwela-type melody. Most were covers of Celia Cruz songs and three were Talking Heads numbers. Great emphasis on the interconnections of West Africa, Cuba, New York. An exciting evening. Reviewed by Simon Broughton in The Evening Standard, Clive Davis in The Times, Arwa Haider in The Daily Telegraph and Sebastian Scotney at londonjazznews.com 31 July 2019.