Baba Commandant and The Mandingo Band 

Saturday, Oct. 28, 6-8pm

Van Buren Hall
6 Chatham Street
Kinderhook, NY

Get Tickets HERE

Afro-beat fans will have a rare opportunity this fall to experience a live performance of the band that’s been called “one of the most original and propulsive musical statements to come from the contemporary West African cultural juggernaut.” Hailing from the Republic of Burkina-Faso, BABA COMMANDANT AND THE MANDINGO BAND are now back in the U.S. after their successful tour in the spring of 2023 that included a performance at the Millennium Stage at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. 

The band will be performing on October 28, 2023, from 6 to 8pm in the intimate setting of historic Van Buren Hall in the Village of Kinderhook.

With their trademark fusion of Mandingue and afro-beat styles, the band features the legendary guitar pyrotechnics of Issouf Diabate, truly one of the greatest West African guitarists of the last forty years. The band is completed by a near bottomless barrel of artistry from the Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso musical talent pool:  on bass guitar, Wendeyida Ouedraogo and on drums, Abbas (Doudou) Kabore. Leading the charge is the captain himself, Mamadou Sanou, on the Donso Ngoni (a traditional West African rhythm harp) and vocals. Sanou has been called one of the most distinctive voices of the modern era. Unlike the banal trends of auto-tune that have pervaded most of West African popular music, Baba’s voice impresses with its gravel and grit, showcasing a range that is ancient and defiant in equal measure.

This special performance is presented by Sublime Frequencies, the Kinderhook Business and Professional Association, and Clark Griffin.