Zongo Junction is a nine-piece instrumental

Afrobeat Afrobeat is a Nigerian music genre that involves the combination of West African musical styles (such as traditional Yoruba music and highlife) and American funk, jazz, and soul influences, with a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersecting ...

band based in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. The band was formed by Charles Ferguson after he spent six months in

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

, West Africa. The members of Zongo Junction stretch the Afrobeat style to fit their musical interests, combining elements of

Sun Ra Le Sony'r Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993), better known as Sun Ra, was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, "cosmic" philosophy, prolific out ...

The Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talkin ...

, and

Fela Kuti Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997), also known as Abami Eda, was a Nigerian musician, bandleader, composer, political activist, and Pan-Africanist. He is regarded as the p ...

to create their own version of afrobeat. Zongo Junction released their five-song debut EP ''Thieves!'' in 2010. The band may have adopted the name Zongo Junction from a bus stop of the same name in Madina, a suburb of Ghana's capital, Accra.

The band

*Charlie Ferguson - Drums *Morgan Greenstreet - Percussion *Jordan Hyde - Guitar *David Lizmi - Bass *Ross Edwards - Keyboards *Adam Schatz - Tenor saxophone *Matt Nelson - Tenor saxophone *

Jonah Parzen-Johnson Jonah Parzen-Johnson is a baritone saxophonist based in Brooklyn, New York. He was born in Chicago, Illinois and grew up on Chicago's South Side. He completed a Bachelor of Music in jazz studies at New York University in 2010, and a Master of Mus ...

- Baritone saxophone *Kevin Moehringer - Trombone *Aaron Rockers - Trumpet

Discography

* ''Big Sir'' - Single (2015) *''No Discount'' (Electric Cowbell Records, 2014) *''The Van That Got Away'' - Single (Primary Records, 2012) *''Thieves!'' (2010)

References

{{authority control Musical groups from Brooklyn Afrobeat musicians