Super Yamba Band at the Emerging Music Festival

<p>Brooklyn Afrobeat group&nbsp;<a href="https://afropop.test.ejaedesign.com/34707/hear-super-yamba-bands-ndiarabi-feat-ismael-kouyate/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">&nbsp;Super Yamba Band</a>&nbsp;made the long journey across the East River to Bryant Park in Manhattan to play the third annual Emerging Music Festival on Sat., Aug. 19.</p> <p>Playing second, the band inherited a very laid-back crowd, ready for free music and chatting and half-paying attention to&nbsp;<em>Paste Magazine</em>&nbsp;raffles.</p> <p>The Yambas kicked into their funky, vintage West African-influenced set, drawing from Fela’s Afrobeat, Étoile de Dakar’s psychedelic&nbsp;<em>mbalax</em>&nbsp;and with more than just a hint of Mali’s Super Djata Band.</p> <p>And the band was on the power play as well, bringing out extra horns and also their ace-up-the-sleeve: the singer Kaleta, whose James Brown grunts have got to be some of the best in the business.</p> <p>The Super Yamba Band opens for Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 on Sept. 20,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bowerypresents.com/event/1531822-seun-kuti-egypt-80-brooklyn/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">at Brooklyn Bowl</a>.</p>