Free Leimert Park Festival Kicks Off Labor Day Weekend In Historic Leimert Park Village In Los Angeles Sept 1-3 With Diverse Line-Up
Festival to feature jazz, blues, reggae, afro-beat, R&B, neo soul, World music, hip hop, African drumming, dance, comedy, spoken word, a natural hair showcase and african fashion show.
- Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA (1888PressRelease) August 22, 2012 - LA's sweltering heat is sure to soar beyond record highs due to the hottest new entertainers scheduled to perform at The Free Leimert Park Village African Art and Music Festival in Los Angeles. With two stages this year, their main stage will feature exciting breakout artists like Nasambu and The Mystic Nomads, Saba Saba, a Ugandan hip hop artist, and a neo-soul band called Ngozi Flux as well as festival favorites including The Azar Lawrence Band featuring Alphonse Mouzon, Kamasi Washington and The Next Step Band, Wadada, and N-Circle (formerly The Full Circle Band) featuring T.C. Moses and smooth jazz saxophonist Andre Delano. Their new spoken word and comedy showcase, begins each day at Noon, and will feature performances by poets Alice The Poet, Nikki Blak, Cayenne, Food4Thot, Gia Scott Heron, Donny Jackson, Deana Reed, Sho', & A.K. Toney, and BY comediennes Daryl & Dwayne Mooney-The Mooney Twins, Awet Teame & Daphne Wright.
On Saturday at 4pm, one LA's most influential DJ's, Nnamdi Moweta, will be at the festival to broadcast the live performance of Saba Saba on his long-running Radio Afrodicia show that can be heard world-wide on Pacifica radio station KPFK, 90.7 FM.
The Festival's second ulta-hip Popwagon stage will showcase new millennium generation artists Alpha MC, Black Soultan, Bless Escro, Habit, ill chilldren, Gia Scott Heron, Jamie L, Karla Moxley, L!sted, Osmith, VerBS & Wo'se Kofe. This segment is produced by Kyle VerBS, a Co-Founders of The Leimert Park Art Walk that monthly draws droves of youth to Leimert Park Village from all around the city.
Another festival first, seven year old Harmony Bailey, a fast-rising entertainment journalist, has been selected as the Festival's Official Red Carpet Correspondent and will interview the Legacy Award honorees and other festival guests. Harmony has interviewed over 200 celebrities and political figures, including Laila Ali, Nick Cannon, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Eric Benet, Barry Gordy, Stevie Wonder, Teena Marie, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Magic and Cookie Johnson, Della Reese, Soulja Boy, Monica, Congresswomen Diane Watson and Maxine Waters and Chris Tucker.
Parents can bring their 2-12 years olds to The Children's Village, where they will be giving away 10,000 children's books donated by Piccolo Books and Rooted in the Arts, an emerging arts organization, headed by Phyllis Bradley-Parker, will offer "make and take" craft sessions, and guided art workshops. Teens, ages 13-18 will have their own Teens Territory, hosted by Sharon Blackburn, Executive Director of The South Central Prevention Coalition. Sharon along with her peer counselors, and The Department of Parks and Recreation, will provide creative art projects, a skit, and a healthy food demonstration and sampling by Network for a Healthy CA-Los Angeles.
The Festival's four signature programs are a "West African Fashion Show" (Sat., Sept. 1st, 2pm); "Sankofa Sunday" a remembrance of those that have transitioned since the last Festival, (Sun., Sept. 2nd, 2pm); "Leaving A Legacy Awards Ceremony, (Sat., Sept. 2nd, 4pm), "Raw 2 the Roots" Natural Hair Styling Showcase, that will feature 18 of LA's top natural hair stylists and over 90 natural hair models, (Mon., Sept. 3rd, 2pm).
Finally, the Festivals' Cultural Marketplace will be bursting at the seams with exquisite fine art including paintings, art quilts, and authentic African artifacts. And items for sale in the Cultural Marketplace will include women's hats, dresses, purses, shoes, jewelry, T-shirts, body butters, soaps, essential oils, dolls, baskets and more.
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