Antibalas at Burlington Discover Jazz Festival at Waterfront Park Tent

Featuring Lakou Mizik and Barika.

“…a brass section so ferociously committed to improvisational funk that it might’ve been channeling the irrepressible mid-’70s horn players of Earth, Wind & Fire.” – LA Times

Continuing the fiery brand of Afrobeat pioneered by Fela Kuti in the 1970s, Antibalas flavors the stock of their sound with strong portions of jazz, funk, and dub. Based in Brooklyn, the band travels the world on a legendarily rigorous live touring schedule and has collaborated with musicians of all stripes, including Kuti’s sons Femi and Seun and other musicians from Kuti’s bands. In 2008, Antibalas was featured in the off-Broadway play Fela!, which celebrated the life and music of the Afrobeat maverick. The massive horn section is responsible for the infectious refrains on Bruno Mars’s 2015 record Uptown Special, which included the ubiquitous single Uptown Funk. The dozen-membered Antibalas ensemble delivers a mammoth sound, casting their audiences into prolonged spells of dance-heavy rapture....

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Featuring Lakou Mizik and Barika.

“…a brass section so ferociously committed to improvisational funk that it might’ve been channeling the irrepressible mid-’70s horn players of Earth, Wind & Fire.” – LA Times

Continuing the fiery brand of Afrobeat pioneered by Fela Kuti in the 1970s, Antibalas flavors the stock of their sound with strong portions of jazz, funk, and dub. Based in Brooklyn, the band travels the world on a legendarily rigorous live touring schedule and has collaborated with musicians of all stripes, including Kuti’s sons Femi and Seun and other musicians from Kuti’s bands. In 2008, Antibalas was featured in the off-Broadway play Fela!, which celebrated the life and music of the Afrobeat maverick. The massive horn section is responsible for the infectious refrains on Bruno Mars’s 2015 record Uptown Special, which included the ubiquitous single Uptown Funk. The dozen-membered Antibalas ensemble delivers a mammoth sound, casting their audiences into prolonged spells of dance-heavy rapture.

A multigenerational collective of Haitian musicians, Lakou Mizik formed in the aftermath of the country’s devastating 2010 earthquake to unite and honor the spirit of their collective culture. The group’s spirited anthems play out an optimism equally adept in musicality and refreshing in its heartfelt message. They are an overture for amity; a sonic embrace. Starting the night off is Vermont’s own, Barika.

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