Wed 7/31 @ 7:30PM
Ohio City Stages, the new summer music series hosted by the Cleveland Museum of Art on West 29th Street in Ohio City, wraps up this week with Peruvian ensemble Novalima.
For more than a decade, the group, founded by four Lima natives with diverse musical interests, has been exploring the traditions of Afro-Peruvian music — with roots in both native culture and African slaves brought over during Spanish colonial days — melding it with sounds taken from contemporary DJ/dance culture.
The four founders lived in far-flung corners of the globe when they first started collaborating in 2001, but music eventually brought them all back home.
Since releasing their self-titled debut in 2002, Novalima has stretched out, bringing in more Afro-Peruvian musicians for 2006’s Afro, some of whom became part of their live band. They’ve continued to branch out and explore, integrating reggae, afrobeat, salsa, and hip hop among other sounds into their music.
It makes for a lively mix that respects the traditions of their source material while creating a fresh — and extremely lively and vibrant — sound.
The Ohio City Stages block party on West 29th street is free. The music will be followed by an outdoor film screening at 9:30.
http://www.clevelandart.org/events/special-events/ohio-city-stages