Luaka Bop has been celebrating their 25 years with a string of curated events at New York City's MMuseumm. On the first night of the festivities earlier this week, Sierra Leonean bubu king Janka Nabay and Sleepy Doug Shaw (Highlife/White Magic) rolled up Cortlandt Alley on the back of a Chrysler LeBaron to perform an introspective cover of highllife and palm wine singer/guitarist S.E. Rogie's (1940-1994) hit "My Lovely Elisabeth." NYC's Reverend Rufus Cannon, who opened up Luaka Bop's unforgettable Atomic Bomb! RBMA shows earlier this year, was also in attendance.
Luaka Bop's 25th anniversary events will continue tonight at MMuseumm, you can check out the full schedule over at their site, and will culminate this weekend with a performance from Atomic Bomb! The Music of William Onyeabor in Central Park featuring Sinkane, Money Mark, Hot Chip‘s Alexis Taylor, Pharoah Sanders, Jamie Lidell, Peaking Lights, Dead Prez, and the South Africa-based Mahotella Queens. Watch Janka Nabay and Sleepy Doug Shaw's back-alley rendition of "My Lovely Elisabeth" below.
