Thursday, March 28, 2024

Groove City at Leimert Park Village Heritage Festival (PHOTOS)

Foushee: Photo Credit, Ricky Richardson

Los AngelesĀ  — Thousands of Angelenos from throughout the Greater Los Angeles area and beyond gathered into Leimert Park Village to get their groove on during the final weekend of Summer.

The 11th Annual Leimert Park Village Heritage Festival welcomed a diverse, multi-cultural crowd to Leimert Park over Labor Day Weekend, August 31-September 2, 2019. The festivities were held from 12 noon til 8pm each day.

Park Signage: Photo Credit, Ricky Richardson

The 11th Annual Leimert Park Village Heritage Festival showcased a broad spectrum of fine arts, quality crafts, music and performing arts. An eclectic array of music was spotlighted at the festival, rap/spoken word, old school R&B, jazz, blues, Reggae, Gospel, Doo-wop, Afro Peruvian and West African drum and dance.

This yearā€™s festival was presented by International Eye, Los Angeles. The Leimert Park Village Heritage Festival celebrated the communityā€™s traditions that spring from the African Diaspora. The festival also celebrated the thriving and vibrant international cultures that have helped to create the dynamic community (Leimert Park Village), acknowledged as the cultural epicenter for Black Arts and culture.

Every day, the Festival Founder Sika, Festival Producer Marie Kellier and other stakeholders welcomed early arrivals to the festival. Baba E Blessed the Grounds during the Libation Ceremony. The Black National Anthem was played for everyone to sing along.

Libation Ceremony: Photo Credit, Ricky Richardson

It was officially on and crack-a-lackin on the Main Stage all weekend. The festival host once again was the hilarious Ramona Stephens. This is lucky number 7, yes ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Ramona has hosted this festival for seven years. This is a true testament to her gift as a comedian. A DJ knows how and when to play to his/her audience. Ramona Stevens used her natural instincts to gear her routine to connect and engage with the large multi-cultural crowd gathered near the Main Stage.

Ramona Stephens: Photo Credit, Ricky Richardson

The festival went off script for a moment for a fantastic impromptu performance by Kenyetta. It was all good. She sang ā€œI Am Changingā€ from the movie and play Dreamgirls, followed by ā€œSweet Thangā€ that generated a standing ovation.

Kenyatta: Photo Credit, Ricky Richardson

Soulful R&B crooner, Rob, aka, Barry White delivered a show stopping performance. He nailed it, sounding exactly like his name sake. If you were hearing him from a distance, you would swear that you were hearing the real deal. He delved into Teddy Pendergrass catalog for his encore.

Barry White: Photo Credit, Ricky Richardson

King Nappy thrilled the crowd with a set of socially conscious tunes, the highlights being ā€œListen to your Inside (reggae with a tinge of gospel). He continued with ā€œThe Benefit of Mankind,ā€ and concluded his set with ā€œWhat Kind of Place.ā€

King Nappy: Photo Credit, Ricky Richardson

The VIP Band was next to perform. They entertained the crowd with the energetic rhythms of Haiti. The dance floor was crowded with people dancing to the sounds of Haitian Compa, Zouk, with a taste of Roots Reggae.

VIP Band: Photo Credit, Ricky Richardson
VIP Band and dancers: Photo Credit, Ricky Richardson

This was a great segue to the next artist. A contagious set of Reggae rhythms were delivered brilliantly by Ladee Dred. Opening day of the festival concluded with the sounds of Earthquake Reggae Orchestra.

Ladee Dred: Photo Credit, Ricky Richardson
Ladee Dred: Photo Credit, Ricky Richardson

Sunday, Day 2- Two back to back artist, Spiritual warriors came to the stage to give Praise and Adoration to our Lord and Savior, with a set of Holy Ghost Hip-Hop. Rare Breed performed ā€œMy Story,ā€ ā€œBreak Them Chains,ā€ and ā€œI Donā€™t Care What People Think.ā€

Rare Breed: Photo Credit, Ricky Richardson

Yukon kept up the momentum during his set as he performed ā€œThank You,ā€ ā€œDeliverance,ā€ and ā€œLord, Glory Be to God.ā€

Yukon: Photo Credit, Ricky Richardson

In keeping with this yearā€™s theme Preserving Our Heritage Celebrating Our Community, Anani Drum and Dance Ensemble honored our Ancestors and celebrated our culture with some traditional, spirit felt African drumming and dancing.

Anani Drum and Dance Ensemble: Photo Credit, Ricky Richardson

Mataji of the Eagle Wings of Enlightment Center delivered a spiritual, uplifting, powerful message entitled ā€œBeauty Within Culture and Community.ā€ This segment invited the audience to on a soul journey to awaken a memory inside of us, to realize that the Soul of God is in each of us.

Mataji: Photo Credit, Ricky Richardson

Street Corner Renaissance took the crowd on another journey, journey of a musical nature. Their set brought back a lot of fond memories of the Doo Wop era. These are just a few of the tunes performed during their crowd-pleasing set. ā€œFunky Good Time,ā€ ā€œLife Could be a Dream,ā€ ā€œThis Magic Moment,ā€ ā€œCloud Nine,ā€ ā€œDaddyā€™s Coming Home Soon,ā€ ā€œCome Go With Me,ā€ ā€œFarewell My Love,ā€ ā€œI Only Have Eyes for You,ā€ and ā€œChange Gonna Come.ā€ The members of this group consist of Charlie ā€œSunnyā€ Banks, Bob Hindley III, Anthony ā€œTonyā€ Snead, Maurice Kitchen and Torre Brannon Reese.

Street Corner Renaissance: Photo Credit, Ricky Richardson

Wadada & The Cultural Soul Band worked the crowd into a frenzy with arrangements of popular songs with World beats. They opened their set with ā€œJin Go Lo Baā€ by Carlos Santana, followed by ā€œWonderful World,ā€ remixed with the contagious rhythms of reggae. They continued with ā€œAll Night Long,ā€ ā€œWaiting in Vain,ā€ ā€œWhat You Wonā€™t Do for Love,ā€ ā€œThree Little Birds,ā€ and ā€œGive me Back my Bush Doctor.ā€

Wadada & Cultural Soul Band: Photo Credit, Ricky Richardson

Chacombo is a Los Angeles based Afro-Peruvian group. This was a fabulous quartet of musicians with Angelo Salazar-guitar, background vocals, Gino Gamboa-vocals, Federico Zuniga-bass, background vocals and Alex Zuniga-cajon. They were aided by the beautiful dancers Nadia Calmet and Evelyn Karahalios. The group opened their set with ā€œToro Mata,ā€ followed by Camote Asado,ā€ ā€œSon de Cajones,ā€ ā€œSofia,ā€ ā€œPancha Remolina,ā€ ā€œRuperta,ā€ and concluded their high octane set with ā€œChacombo.ā€ The dancers and crowd performed superbly to the rhythms of Lando, Festejo and Zamacueca.

Chacombo: Photo Credit, Ricky Richardson
Chacombo Dancers: Photo Credit, Ricky Richardson
Gino Gamboa and Dancer: Photo Credit, Ricky Richardson

ADAAWE is an all-female drum group. They added several new members to form a full band. ADAAWE thoroughly entertained the captivated crowd assembled at the Main Stage.

ADAAWE: Photo Credit, Ricky Richardson

Monday-Final day- The California African American Museum (CAAM), gave the crowd a preview of an upcoming play wonderfully performed by Zig Zaggerz. The play relates to Afro-Futurism, which is a cultural phenomenon that envisions a utopian future through a fusion visionary sci-fi imagery and a celebration of Pan-African and global Black culture.

Zig Zaggerz: Photo Credit, Ricky Richardson

The line-up continued with a quartet of amazing women singers. Nicole Kimbrough received a thunderous round of applause after her set, the highlight was her version of ā€œI Would Rather Go Blindā€ by the late great Etta James.

Nicole Kimbrough: Photo Credit, Ricky Richardson

Next up onstage was the beautiful, soulful, vocal stylings of Foushee, musician, singer, songwriter that reminds one of Minnie Riperton and India Irie. Yes, you guest it right, this is the amazing Foushee from The Voice, season 15.

Foushee: Photo Credit, Ricky Richardson

Jess, Barbara Morrison, Jazz Zone and Gregg Wright contributed to the success of the 11th Annual Leimert Park Village Heritage Festival.

Jess: Photo Credit, Ricky Richardson

Ricky Richardson is a Southern California based writer, music reviewer and photographer.

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