The doors open at 20:00

YEISY RED
Yeisy Rojas is originally from Havana, where she has worked as a violinist in the Opera and the National Ballet. In addition, she has played Cuban folk music and Latin jazz in various orchestras and as a freelance musician in the Afro-Cuban community and jazz clubs in Havana.. Yeisy came to Norway in 2016, and has completed a master's degree in performing rhythmic and world music. The music is inspired by traditional Cuban folk music that has deep West African roots.

On the occasion of the festival, she also releases the single «Mas Mas». This song was recorded in Havana in January 2020, just before the corona struck, with some of the country's most renowned jazz musicians.

Yeisy Rojas – violin / vocals
Carsten Omholt – drums
Håvard Henriksen – bass
Torbjørn Kvamme – piano
Felix navarro – percussion

MEELODI
Meelodi released their third album in November 2020, and has garnered very good feedback, Aftenposten Writes, among other things; «Winter's nicest surprise» «It must be allowed to hope that more than me now discover this surprise from Bergen. The city that now also convinces in this global genre ».

Meelodi started as a project between the Bergen-based duo Ole Andre Farstad and Medi Farmani (Iran). Through their first two albums, they collaborated with a number of musicians from home and abroad in an exploration and experimentation with setting the tone of poems from famous Perian poets. I 2019 came singer Nawar Alnaddaf (Syria) included in the project, together with a permanent ensemble consisting of some of Norway's foremost musicians. The expanded crew and the new record The Great Blue Wheel, mark a new era for Meelodi.

Medi Farmani – vocals
Nawar Alnaddaf – vowel / old
Ole Andre Farstad – string instruments / percussion
Snorre Bjerck – percussion / vocals
Anders Bitustøyl – bass guitar / bass clarinet
Per Jørgensen – trumpet / percussion / song

LUISON AND CUBA
Luison Y Cuba plays traditional Cuban music, the genre that in this country is best known through Buena Vista Social Club. The band is led with a confident hand by the Cuban percussionist, singer and composer Luisón Medina Capote. Among other things, he has played with La Descarga, Mambo Companeros and Ellayali, and has a number of appearances behind him both nationally and internationally. He also tours with Rikskonsertene, and both young and old people around the country have experienced this charismatic musician.

Luison Medina Capote – vokal/congas
Hadez Heriberto Hernandez – lead/vocal
Morten Husse – piano / vocals
Gerardo Humberto Orrego Rocco – bass / vocals
Raciel Torres placeholder image – drums / vocals
Lars Sutterud – trombone
Bjørn Blomberg – saxophone

SATURDAY OCTOBER 23

Family concert at 12:00 (the doors open 11:30)

EVENING
The doors open at 20:00

GUTU ABERA
Gutu Abera lives in Bergen, but grew up in Ethiopia with oromo traditional music, melodies and rhythms. The interest in music was aroused in a meeting with some of the greatest Oromo musicians, who fled Ethiopia due to political persecution. With music, he wants to honor and continue untouched music treasures, and he is well known in the Oromic diaspora and environment of Ethiopia through the song Oromiyaa, in collaboration with color games. The latest song, They do not wash, took youtube by storm, and was also named the best oromo song of the year in Ethiopia.

I 2019 he started the project Gutu Abera together with Mira Thiruchelvam (9 Degrees North) and Bård Årvik (Hum). The collaboration colors the rhythms and melodies, and music has influences from many music genres such as jazz, blues, bath and table. Rhythmic variations alternate between oromic rhythms such as dhichesa, baaroo og afro beat.

Gutu Abera – vocals
Dipha Thiruchelvam – disease
Anney Niyokindi – disease
Martin Wright – drums
Bård Aarvik – guitar
Jonas Hamre – blow
Runa Underhaug – blow
Mira Thiruchelvam – flute
Nils Henrik – bass

HAWWII H QANANII
Hawi Haileyesus, better known as Hawwii H.Qanani is an Oromic artist. She is well known among the Oromic population, which consists of approx 60 million people in the world, and in recent years has had concerts both in Europe and in Africa – and for over a million spectators in Oromiya! She is currently in the studio recording her debut album, that comes out in 2022.

For the occasion, Hawwii has put together a band consisting of musicians with different musical backgrounds, which provides a unique and colorful community. At the concert, Oromo folk music is mixed with Latin American and African rhythms, with a hint of the West!

Totoba (Oromiya) – bass
Lelo (Brazil) – guitar
Gin (Cuba) – guitar
Stella Marie (Norway / Philippines) – keyboard
Kenny Larsen (Norway) – drums
Guest artist: Will Freeman (Sierra Leone)
Dancers: Dabi & Chaltu (Oromiya)

UNITY BAND
Unity Band is an authentic African band based in Bergen, and offers the best of groovy dance songs from sub-Saharan Africa. The musicians bring with them long experience from the music scenes in Cameroon, Congo, Angola, Kenya, Tanzania and Os, and guarantees a festive evening for dance-loving people from Bergen of all nationalities.

Raymond Msharasha (Tanzania) – vowel,/guitar
Deo England (Congo) - vocals / guitar
Don Collenco (Cameroon) - vowel / perk
If Palanca Kalunga (Angola) - vocals / guitar
Loren Kabugi (Kenya) – keyboard
Gaspar Safari (Tanzania) Percussion
Philipo Njaidi (Tanzania) - vocals / drum kits
Bjørn Blomberg (You) – bass

The event is supported by Bergen Municipality, Vestland County Municipality, Fana Sparebank and Kulturrom