Celebrate Ivorian Independence Day with Jess Sah Bi and Peter One

<p>What better way to celebrate the date of Cote d'Ivoire's independence from France on Aug. 7, 1960, than with two independently minded musicians? Jess Sah Bi and Peter One are a pair of Ivoirian singer-songwriters who released one of the most singular and warm-sounding albums of the '80s, <em>Our Garden Needs Its Flowers,</em> a distinctly idiosyncratic take on Americana and country music that's as warm, inviting and harmony laden as anything Laurel Canyon has to offer. It was a hit upon its release in the Ivory Coast and across West Africa and <a href="https://jesssahbipeterone.bandcamp.com/album/our-garden-needs-its-flowers" target="_blank">just got a snappy vinyl reissue courtesy of Awesome Tapes from Africa</a>. After playing in stadiums in Benin and Togo, Jess Sah Bi and Peter One finally made their Brooklyn debut last year.</p> <p><iframe loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fDsrRO3qnHE" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0"></iframe> </p> <p>Our friends over at BRIC TV had a chance to talk to the duo and just released a beautiful video, replete with archival footage of Jess and Peter playing back in the '80s and footage from their September 2018 show in Brooklyn. Spoiler alert: they've still got it. </p>