Ajoyo is the vision of saxophonist Yacine Boularès: a mystic brew blending African tradition, jazz and soul. It’s a joyful ceremony bringing musicians and the audience close together.
For the first TILT collaboration with Harlem Stage, the young at heart are invited to engage with an instrument-making workshop before joining the band for an eclectic musical celebration.
Based in New York and originally from France and Tunisia, Yacine Boularès has played sax, composed and arranged music for Cameroonian musicians such as former Fela Kuti drummer Jojo Kuo, the late Martino Atangana, Haitian Kompa legends Tabou Combo, and Placido Domingo on his album Encanto Del Mar. More recently, Boularès has performed, composed, and arranged music for his trio Abu Sadiya with Vincent Segal and Nasheet Waits. Learn more at yacineboulares.com.
Remarkably agile jazz vocalist and composer Sarah Elizabeth Charles is from Springfield, Massachusetts, where she started developing her talent as early as elementary school. After high school, she relocated to New York City, attended the New School, and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Her path crossed with those of Geri Allen, Cecil Bridgewater, George Cables, and Sheila Jordan, among others. In 2012, she debuted with Red, on which she was supported by drummer John Davis, pianist Jesse Elder, and bassist Burniss Earl Travis, collectively known as the S.E. Charles Quartet. Three years later, Charles and the same trio released a second album, Inner Dialogue, which she produced beside Christian Scott. Learn more at sarahelizabethcharles.com.
