Jembaa Groove is a Berlin based Afro-Soul group founded in
late 2020 by Yannick Nolting (bass,composer,producer)and
Eric Owusu (vocals,percussion,songwriter).
Speaking the same musical language, the two musical nomads
quickly realised the fruitful outcome of their encounter.
Digging deep into both their backgrounds and musical
identities, they came up with an new and yet authentic vibe
ready to be spread across the globe. After seeking for the
right companions for the upcoming journey and stumbling on
a few of Berlin's finest musicians, they finally formed
Jembaa Groove, a 7-piece band that combines jazzy sounds
from Berlin's uprising underground scene with traditional
West-African sounds from Ghana and Mali, such as Highlife,
Adowa and Wassoulou.
They first met fortuitously at a Berlin playground with both their sons
and soon after realised they were onto something special.
The music of Jembaa Groove is as much
influenced by the soulful rhythms and baritone chords of
70's black America and contemporary artists like Lee Fields
and Ikebe Shakedown, as it is by highlife artists such as
Ebo Taylor and Pat Thomas, with whom Eric has been touring
and recording for many years.
Garnering a smattering of support from the media world like
KEXP, KCRW, Worldwide FM, Rinse FM, WDR Cosmo and enough
stations round the world off the back of their Bassa Bassa
track, Jembaa Groove are causing a storm with their hybrid
West African meets US soul & jazz sound. Their debut album
'Susuma' will be released via Agogo Records on 18.03.2022
and is being followed by an extensive Release Tour
throughout Europe soon after.