An Afternoon with Somi

We are thrilled to welcome Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, playwright and actor, Somi to CARA to celebrate the life and work of the revolutionary singer Miriam Makeba. This intimate gathering of storytelling and songs will feature Somi’s interpretations of some of Makeba’s best known recordings also heard in the album Zenzile: The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba (Salon Africana, 2022). Somi will share her reflections on the musical contributions and messages of social justice made by the “first lady of African song,” that inspired the original play Dreaming Zenzile—written and performed by Somi. She will be joined by close collaborators Toru Dodo on piano, Otis Brown III on drums, and Myron Walden on horns. 

Somi is an artist of Rwandan and Ugandan descent based in the US. She has released seven albums to date and earned placings on leading international World Music and Jazz charts. Last year, she was nominated for a Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album — making Somi the first African woman ever to be recognized in any of the Jazz categories.

This program—produced in dialogue with Neo Muyanga’s tribute to Makeba, House of MAKEdba (currently on view at CARA)—will begin at 4pm, and accompanies the second to last day of ongoing-rehearsal performances of Muyanga’s Hymn to the Strange.

Image of Somi: D. Obasi