Chicago's Occidental Brothers Dance Band International plays classic Central and West African dance music-specializing in soukous, Highlife, Rumba, Dry Guitar, and other delights from the great continent. The multi-racial band mixes their backgrounds in traditional African music, jazz, and underground rock to bring these classic sounds to life.

Guitarist Nathaniel Braddock leads the group. Braddock has lived and studied in Ghana and teaches African guitar at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music. He's a veteran of Chicago's indie-rock scene, playing with many bands including Edith Frost, and the Zincs. Greg Ward joins Braddock on alto saxophone. Ward is a rising star of Chicago's jazz scene, playing with Hamid Drake, Ernest Dawkins, and the Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble. Handling trumpet and vocal duties is Kofi Cromwell of the much-celebrated Western Diamonds (voted Ghana's best highlife band many times). The engine is fellow Western Diamond Asamoah Rambo who brings his energetic style and spirit to the trap drums. Young Puerto Rican bass-ace Joshua Ramos plays upright.

Complete tour schedule and full press release below.

online press kit - www.rockpaperscissors.biz/go/brothers

Occidental Brothers Dance Band International Tour Schedule: 

06/13/2009, Madison, WI, 20th Marquette Waterfront Festival
06/18/2009, Denver, CO, Bluebird Theater
06/20/2009, Tucson, AZ, Solar Culture
06/21/2009, Phoenix, AZ,The Rhythm Room
06/23/2009, Los Angeles, CA,The Echo
06/24/2009, San Francisco, CA, Hotel Utah
06/26/2009, Portland, OR, Mississippi Studios
06/27/2009, Vancouver, BC, Vancouver Jazz Festival
06/28/2009, Vancouver, BC, Vancouver Jazz Festival, Performance Works
06/29/2009, Seattle, WA,The Triple Door

07/02/2009, Milwaukee, WI, Milwaukee Summerfest
07/03/2009, Des Moines, IA, 80-35 Festival
07/04/2009, Sioux City, IA, Saturday in the Park
07/09/2009, Montreal, Quebec,Festival International de Jazz de Montreal at Scene
07/10/2009, New York City, NY, Lincoln Center - Midsummer Night Swing
07/11/2009, Brooklyn, NY, Hot Summer Nights Global Rhythms Series
07/16/2009, Washington, DC, DC9
07/17/2009, Pittsburgh, PA, Club Cafe
07/18/2009, Chicago, IL, Taste of River North

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