North Carolina's own"The Brand New Life" fuses African traditions with jazz and modern techniques.
The band features a young jazz enthusiast from North Carolina and a Senegalese griot from West Africa. A griot is a historian, poet, storyteller and/or musician in Senegalese tradition. He is the community's spokesperson. The band includes members Seth Barden, Walter Fancourt, Sean Smith, Daniel Yount, Will Darity and Mamadou Mbenge. They will join host Frank Stasio at the Triad Stage, and they will perform live.