Sarah ELIZABETH Charles: Vocals

Yacine Boularès: sax

Jesse Fischer: keyboards & production

Kyle Miles: bass

Michael Valeanu: guitar

Philippe Lemm: drums

Also with:

Takuya Kuroda (4,7)

Joel Ross (5)

Vuyo Sotashe (3)

Akie Bermiss (7)

Jonathan Levy (1)

Darius Christian (7)

Eden Bareket (7)

Keita Ogawa: percussions (2,3,5)

Foluso Mimy: djembe (1)

BOOKING US/WORLD

Yacine Boulares

yacine@ajoyomusic.com

BOOKING EUROPE

Molpé Music

Amélie Salembier amelie@molpe-music.com +336.30.35.36.80

LABEL

Shems Records - L’autre Distribution

info@shemsrecords.com

PUBLICITY USA

Lydia Liebman Promotions lydia@lydialiebmanpromotions.com

Hailed for the vibrant eclecticism and socially conscious engagement of its eponymous 2015 debut, the spellbinding jazz- world ensemble AJOYO returns with War Chant. The four-track EP offers an enticing preview of the group’s full length sophomore release WAR CHANT, due out in early 2020.

Alongside saxophonist/bandleader Yacine Boularès, War Chant features a deeply attuned working lineup with vocalist Sarah Elizabeth Charles, keyboardist/producer Jesse Fischer, bassist Kyle Miles, guitarist Michael Valeanu and drummer Philippe Lemm. Trumpeter Takuya Kuroda appears on “Assyko,” and Keita Ogawa and Foluso Mimy guest on percussion as well.

Celebrity Café has praised AJOYO’s melding of “old-world Cameroonian beats with traditional jazz themes,” while All About Jazz has described how “the music exudes sophistication yet responds to a primordial pulse.” Those energies, and a continuous creative evolution, are evident again on War Chant, which opens with the cathartic title track aimed squarely at Trump’s misrule. “Assyko,” according to Boularès, is named for a Cameroonian rhythm and intended to evoke “pure joy and celebration of Roy Hargrove. The bridge and the effect on Takuya’s trumpet are a reference to Roy’s tune ‘Strasbourg/St. Denis.’” “Somber Joy,” based on a Moroccan Chaabi rhythm, is “a reflection on mental illness, love and addiction.” And “Same” is an attempt “to understand the psychological process that leads to xenophobia.” The band’s deep and unrelenting groove, virtuosic improvising and effortless command of compositional detail makes War Chant a thrill from start to finish.

Boularès and Charles began working together in 2009 soon after Boularès arrived in New York, though the founding of AJOYO came later. “We happen to have very similar immigration stories,” says the saxophonist. “Sarah is American and Haitian, and it’s through music that she has maintained a relationship with Haiti. I’m French Tunisian, and although I grew up between Tunis and Paris, it’s through music that I’ve put back together the pieces of my fragmented identity. I also have strong ties with the Haitian community as the saxophonist in Tabou Combo for the past six years. I’m also founding the first contemporary Arabic culture festival at Joe’s Pub in New York, coming in October 2020. It’s become a necessity for me to fight back through art and culture, with the underlying idea that ignorance leads to hatred. Exposing people to our worlds and our stories develops empathy, regardless of their political views.”

PRESS CLIPS

ENGLISH

Jazz Society of Oregon  [Ajoyo] feel(s) like the world’s tightest jam session [...] the vision becomes crystal clear and the music impossible to define.

All About Jazz (Chris M. Slawecki) "Ajoyo makes clear that the organic whole of this music sounds greater than the sum of its still very enjoyable parts..."

Celebrity Cafe "Ajoyo’s self-titled debut album melds old-world Cameroonian beats with traditional jazz themes to create a distinctive and unforgettable sound" (...)

Exclaim! "Ajoyo delivers a record mixed with tracks that are both danceable and grooveable" (...)

Inside World Music  "highly-contemporary and driven with diverse sounds and hypnotic lines that will keep anyone enthralled for a long time" 

World Music Central "Ajoyo is a splendid debut album by one of the most interesting new bands in the New York Afro-rooted world music scene" (...)

All About Jazz (James Nadal) "the music exudes sophistication, yet responds to a primordial pulse" (...)

Black Grooves "Ajoyo takes musicians and influences from across the globe and creates a jazz fusion album that leaves behind technical worries and embraces life and love fully"

WNYC

Jazz Weekly "exciting and visceral release"

The Daily Vault "Ajoyo's uncontainable energy and extremely detailed musicianship elicit a level of beauty, grace, and fun that few artists can attain"

FRENCH

Djam La Revue "Ajoyo est habité d’une esthétique qui laisse pantois. Cohérente, [...] si parfaite dans la fusion des influences, que j’en suis encore à me demander comment est-il possible d’asseoir un tel mariage de genres sans que ceux-ci perdent de leur individualité."

La Bande Passante RFI "Un Tunisien a New York, un des jazzmen les plus talentueux de sa génération"

Les chroniques de Hiko "Ajoyo fait parti de ces disques magiques qui provoquent un engouement dès la première écoute"

Djolo.net "probablement l’un des meilleurs [disques] de cette première moitié de 2015"

Wana Music "l’esprit de l’album, un mélange d’Occident et d’Afrique. Un pur régal!"

Saphir News "Célébrer la vie, l’amour et la justice » tout en décloisonnant les frontières... un pari largement relevé par ce musicien qui promet de faire entendre parler de lui dans le monde du jazz."

ARABIC

MC Doualiya live with Mayssa Issa

GALLERY