Somi, the New York daughter of Rwanda and Uganda, celebrated the release of her first live jazz album last night in New York City.
She recorded the album over two nights of performances at a jazz haunt on East 27th and Park Avenue, called the Jazz Standard. The live music is based on performances from her last two studio albums, as well as covers of Bob Marley and Abbey Lincoln.
Teju Cole, a Nigerian-American writer who just published her first novel “Open City,” introduced her at the show at (Le) Poisson Rouge, a performance space in Greenwich Village. The evening was a mix of Somi’s performances, a jazz chamber ensemble, and literary excerpts.
Morley, an American singer and songwriter from Jamaica, Queens, opened the show around 8 p.m. The lovely muscician works with kids around the world, from Northern Ireland to Rwanda and Southern Sudan, and most of her songs are insipired being around them