The Bongo Club in Edinburgh, Scotland will host the launch of "ALLEZ!", the new album by Scottish-based band, ZUBA. Starting at 7pm on March 19, this 7-member group--originally formed for a one-off concert to benefit Scottish International Relief--will be performing their own heady blend of African guitar pop, called "Bassa Beat", which is described as a cross between Salif Keita and The Byrds, with shades of Peter Gabriel and the Afro-Celts. Multicultural, multilingual, and multi-talented, Zuba delivers "a highly danceable message of tolerance, hope and happiness" (Sunday Herald), and has been hailed as "one of Britain's best world-music acts" (The Daily Record).

Band-members write: "Since day one, Zuba have strongly believed in music as a way of fighting for a better world and they have current connections with charities such as Amnesty International, Fairtrade, the Big Issue, and now One World Beat!". Lead singer Jerry Boweh has just launched his own charity, AYDAP (African Youth Development Action Project), to open an exchange between youngsters from deprived areas in Scotland and Liberia through music, culture, and sport.

Zuba spent the summer recording "ALLEZ!", which is the culmination of its 7-year voyage to seek out new musical territory, and which "boldly goes where no Liberian / French / Scottish / Ghanaian / Ugandan musical partnership has gone before". On their travels they have supported Manu Chao, Femi Kuti, Papa Wemba, Salsa Celtica, Martyn Bennett, Ifang Bondi, Abdul T-Jay and many others. Their tracks have been on the air from Berlin to New Mexico, through Brazil and Norway, and are one of Mary Ann Kennedy's favourites on her Celtic Connections program on BBC Radio Scotland.

Jerry visited his homeland Liberia in April and was interviewed on national radio and TV, where Zuba's exiled grooves were well received back home. Zuba's current line-up is the strongest and most varied they have had so far: Jerry Boweh, the lead singer, is from a lineage of griots from the Bassa tribe (Liberia), his melodies mostly West African but strongly influenced by reggae and Southern-African grooves. Jerry also conducts the "Glasgow Gospel Choir". Robin, native of the Scottish island Islay, brings some Celtic sparkle with his magic fingerpicking. Playing guitar professionally for ten years, he has been touring all over Europe with the folk bands "Tannas" and "Runt O' The Litter".

Jacob Chaudeurge, started by learning African drumming in Paris, then studied his Latin skills in Bogota and Santiago de Cuba. Active on the Glasgow scene, he plays also in "SambaYaBamba" (carnival drumming) and "Sweet-T and the Section" (dub). Bass player Andy Wood has been in Zuba from the start and developed his highly melodic and energetic playing influenced by Zimbabwean music styles and John Entwistle (The Who). Prior to Zuba, Woody played with "Aunty Rose" (funk/rock), where he contracted the "jump on stage" syndrome! After studying jazz at the famous Berklee College of Music, Alasdair MacDonald was a session player with a number of bands before becoming the rhythmical engine of Zuba. Anna MacDonald, who leads the song "Mes Fantomes", used to sing in the funk band "Engine". Rosemary Amoani toured around Europe as a professional dancer before moving in Glasgow.

For more information please contact Jacob, Zuba's manager/percussionist (jacobzuba@yahoo.co.uk), or Zuba's agent, Ian Smith (ian@frusion.co.uk), at Frusion/ Adastra Agency, 1 Holme Road, DE4 3NU Matlock Bath, Derbyshire.

For Zuba general contact, email zuba@zuba.co.uk. See Zuba in a virtual-showcase containing video, music and pictures, hosted at the virtual world music exposition.

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