A.B.N is a New York City based group that has been performing together in clubs and festivals for nearly fifteen years. It is co-led with a repertoire including original tunes as well as popular songs made famous by some of Africa's most well known musical artists.
A.B.N was one of the pioneering groups in a movement in the early 1990's in New York which spawned many other African music groups. It has contributed greatly to further developing and exposing the relationship between African and American musical styles.
Each member of A.B.N. has performed and recorded with numerous African and American music stars including Fela Kuti, Manu Dibango, Papa Wembe, Oumou Sangare, Ismael Lo, Andre-Marie Tala, Paul Simon, Jean Luc Ponty, Ani Difranco, Buddy Miles and Winston Grennan, to name a few.
Guitarist and vocalist Dr. Martin Atangana was one of the musicians Paul Simon used on his famous crossover album "Rhythm of The Saints" and he is also a professor of African history at Queens College. Bassist Mamadou Ba has been musical director for Harry Belafonte for nearly ten years.
The founding
members of African Blue Note are drummer JoJo
Kuo from Cameroun, bassist Mamadou Ba from
Senegal, guitarist Martin Atangana from Cameroun,
keyboardist Azouhouni Adou from Cote D'Ivoire and
trumpet/flugelhorn player Todd Horton from the U.S.A.
Additional regular members include saxophonist Aaron Heick,
formerly with Richard Bona, Chaka Khan, Carly
Simon and Cindy Lauper, among others.