News
Monday, 21 June 2010
Fiesta in The Park!
Fiesta in The Park is a summer evening of live carnival performances from internationally renowned world music artists. Kicking off Carnival weekend comes, from the Congo, festival-favourite Kanda Bongo Man, with his 8 piece band and high energy dancers raising the carnival spirit!
Global musicians from the world famous Grand Union Orchestra, including Claude Deppa and Yousuf Ali Khan, bring the infectious dance rhythms of salsa and samba, ska and soca, hi-life and bhangra with exhilarating jazz solos from trumpet, saxophone and trombone!
With hot reggae vibes from local stars Makating, jazzy arabic twists from Brickwork Lizards and reggae, dancehall and ska tunes from Oxford's Count Skylarkin, South Park will be sizzling with carnival fever!
Kanda Bongo Man
A regular at Womad, Glastonbury and international world music festivals, Kanda is a leading ambassador of African popular culture, and has toured the globe attracting huge audiences across five continents. He has recorded with Ringo Starr, with master guitarist Diblo Dibala, he has appeared on Jools Holland 'Later ...' and was reputedly a favourite of John Peel.
The origins of the music are a blend of Cuban rhumba beats, reinforced with supple African percussion and sparkling guitar work - a dance-happy, guitar-driven synthesis of traditional Zairean and Afro-Cuban rhythms. Listen
Grand Union Orchestra
The Grand Union Orchestra is the acknowledged pioneer and leading exponent of original, cross-cultural music making with musicians from virtually every part of the world.
Over the last 20 years, Grand Union has notched up hundreds of performances across virtually the whole of the UK, and internationally.
Above all, Grand Union celebrates the energy and creative possibilities of today’s multicultural society. Expect an eclectic mix celebrating the spirit of carnival from all over the world! Listen
Makating
Oxford's reggae favourites Makating are back to entertain for carnival's Fiesta in the Park! One of the city's original reggae acts the band are a captivating live act, respected and much loved on the reggae circuit across the UK.
The core band Makating (meaning something ‘powerful’) was formed from a week long studio session in December 1994. Quickly building a strong local following, the sound evolved from a foundation of strong dub reggae drum and bass line to incorporate rich melodies and harmonies in the vocals, brass and guitar work. The live act has always been a rare outing in entertainment, never failing to get the crowd dancing. Listen
Brickwork Lizards
Unique Oxford collective peddle a film noir soundtrack with a jazzy twist of arabic melodies and rap. Brickwork Lizards are a 6-piece band featuring Oud, Cello, Guitar, Keys, Trumpet and Percussion under the silky Arabic vocals of Tarik Bashir and the wise words of MC Tomohawk. Their contemporary and intense melodies are interlaced with 1930s and 40s influences, overlaid with beats, grooves and rap, all steeped in the essence of Middle Eastern music with the Oud and Arabic vocals. Listen
DJ Count Skylarkin
Skylarkin’ Soundsystem was born via a 1997 mixtape in a South London cafe, and has been kicking out its patented brew of Jumpin’ Jivin’ Rockin’ Swingin’ Reggae, Ska, Soul, Dancehall and Rhythm & Blues Exotica in Oxford and London since 2002. Now one of the hottest acts on the UK's festival and club scene, Aidan Larkin entertains us Fiesta style! Listen
Tickets £8 advance / £10 on the gate
£6 advance concessions / £8 on the gate advance concessions
£25 advance family ticket - 2 adults/2 children / £30 on the gate
Tickets on-sale now online - all of the proceeds will to go the Cowley Road Carnival Fund to help secure the Carnival for this and future years. Open to all ages this will be a truly magical evening to launch Carnival weekend for Oxford.
