I received an email from an old friend, Rich who was performing the upcoming Friday with a band that he is a member of. The name of the band was, "Sabor and The Afro Latineers". The place where the band was performing was Joloff, an African Senegal restaurant located on Bedford Ave and Madison. It was about a 7 to 10 minute walk around the corner from a spot where I DJ my monthly dance gathering called MOJUGBA (a Yoruba word meaning, To Give Homage). Friday came, I was at my usual spot the local cafe in the Clinton Hills area of Brooklyn. After finishing some last minute online promoting, I packed up my old, but still very reliable Apple PowerBook G4, and started my walk home to my Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood to get ready for the night. After gathering my music together, a quick shower, and a moment of quiet time, I made my walk to hear my friend and his band play. The walk was actually pretty quick, maybe ten minutes. As I approached the door, I could hear the music, beautiful, rhythmic, intoxicating.
I entered, walking down a short hallway into the main restaurant area. The room was somewhat small, very intimate, definitely the kind of place you would take your significant other on a date. There were about two and a half rows of tables with two chairs to each table. Each row of four to five tables and chairs lead toward a small stage where the band performed. I was greeted by the owner of the restaurant, a kind, soft spoken African gentleman slightly older or shall I say more experienced in age, gentle but strong. I asked if I could sit on the small couch against the wall, to listen to my friend and his band perform. He smiled and motioned me to have a seat, before bringing to me a tall clear glass of fresh cool water. The band consisted of a female pianist a male trumpeter, a woman playing the maracas and various other like instruments, the band leader himself Sabor on the percussions, and my friend Rich on the bass guitar. I brought my hands together in a prayer-like gesture bidding greetings to my friend Rich, which he made the same gesture in return. Sabor introduced the member of the band before announcing that they would perform one more song before taking a brief intermission. The band performed their last song, which was beautifully flavorful, then broke for intermission.
Rich was the first one the leave the stage, making his way toward the back area where I was seated. He greeted and thanked everyone at their tables as they enjoyed the very tasty food and drink. As Rich approached me he sounded off, "APHROSOOOOOOUL!" (a variation the introduction to the old SOUL TRAIN television dance show. The SOOOOOOOOL Train!) I laughed, thinking about when the crowd would sound off my name like that as I DJ'ed. After shaking hands and embracing, we did a little catching up on what we each have been up to. Rich told me that he and the band perform their at Joloff every 1st and 3rd Friday, 8pm to 10pm. I was like wow, telling him I have my dance gathering every 3rd Friday at another restaurant bar around the corner. Rich said he would introduce me to the owner of Joloff, which would be a good thing being that they have a DJ booth upstairs. "Really!" I said, with a growing smile on my face. I said to Rich, "Yes please do." The band leader Sabor himself approached us. In which Rich introduced him to me. We greeted one another and shook hands. Sabor told me he was a DJ as well, Salsa music is mostly what he spins. He just recently gotten into producing music. After getting to know one another for a brief moment, Sabor had go meet and greet the other guest before starting the next set. Rich then call the owner of the restaurant over, who just happen to be the kind soft spoken African gentleman, introducing him to me. Rich began telling the owner how good a person I am as well as being a phenomenal DJ. Rich also told the owner that I was DJ'ing a party Round the corner from Joloff. "Oh I know the place and the owner there " the gentleman said. "I will stop by when we close here," he told me. Rich had to go get ready for the band's second set, and the owner had to serve the other guests. I notice two young attractive women of African descent sitting at the table next to where I was sitting. I approached one of them telling about the dance gathering I was DJ'ing. When asked what kind of music, I ran off the list of what I will be spinning. When I mentioned house music, the eyes of one of the ladies lit up like the sun. She told me she knows of the place and ask will their be room to dance there. I told her yes their is an area where people can dance. The woman and her friend (which turned out to be her cousin visiting New York for the first time), were going to a show at The Blue Note and would be coming by my gathering afterward. I thanked them, allowing them to return to their meal.
Rich and the band began their second set which I had to be on my way to begin my set at my dance gathering. Before leaving I asked the owning in I may have a look at the DJ booth for future reference. He directed to where the booth was, in which there was a ladder to climb to get go the booth. I climbed the ladder to the DJ booth to have a quick look. There was a studio mixing board and space provided on a large platform for the DJ mixer and turntables. After looking around, I climbed down the ladder, left a monetary donation in a large sized jar the band had sitting at the front of the stage, gave my quick goodbyes and started my way towards the front. Rich gestured a quick goodbye in-between playing his bass guitar. Sabor gave a quick shout out to me which I thanked him for. I stopped to thank the owner and to get a business card from him. He thanked me in return and told me that he would stop by my gathering if he can afterward and we will talk about doing something maybe on a Saturday night.
I truly enjoyed listening to my friend Rich as well as the rest of Sabor and The Afro Latineers. The music was as beautiful as it was thought provoking, story telling, soothing, and entertaining. They definitely have made a fan in me...
Alafia (Peace)
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