CELEBRATING THE MUSIC OF WEST AFRICA
Ear Up Records & Africa Nashville Present:
JEFF COFFIN & IBRO DIOUBATE
w/Keith Carlock, Bob Lanzetti, Jon Estes, Emmanuel Echem & Fode Sylla
Friday, April 3rd, 7:30 PM
Nashville Jazz Workshop
$35
Many musical worlds will collide in one extraordinary evening at the Jazz Cave on April 3, 2026. Grammy-winning saxophonist Jeff Coffin — a globally recognized musician and educator known for his 14 years and 3 Grammy Awards with Béla Fleck & the Flecktones, and his ongoing role (18 years+) with Dave Matthews Band, and his over 11 years teaching at the prestigious Vanderbilt University — joins forces with recent Nashville transplant Ibrahima "Ibro" Dioubate, a master djembefola born into the Yeli tradition and celebrated internationally for sharing the rich culture of Guinea Conakry. Together, they bring an all-star ensemble to the NJW stage for a night of music that transcends borders.
Coffin has been channeling his passion for African music into his wide-ranging career for decades, describing it as having "changed the trajectory of everything" for him as a musician, educator, and composer. His connection to Ibro and the AfricaNashville community runs deep — Coffin is a co-founder of AfricaNashville and has described bringing these artists to Nashville as "a defining cultural and musical moment for Music City."
The band for this very special evening features some of the globe's finest: drummer Keith Carlock, whose credits span Steely Dan, John Mayer, Sting, and James Taylor; guitarist Bob Lanzetti, founding member of the multi-Grammy-winning jazz/funk collective Snarky Puppy; Grammy-nominated bassist and producer Jon Estes, a Nashville native who works on over 200 sessions a year with artists ranging from Kacey Musgraves to Dolly Parton to Bela Fleck; trumpeter Emmanuel Echem, a Nashville mainstay whose soulful improvisational style has taken him from the North Sea Jazz Festival to Radio City Music Hall, with credits including The Tedeschi Trucks Band, Kirk Franklin, Lauren Daigle, and Dumpstaphunk; and Fode Sylla, a dynamic drummer and performance artist from Conakry, Guinea, who is a master of West African rhythms and has performed with the nationally renowned Ballet Merveille de Guinea.
This is a once-in-a-season gathering of master musicians. Don't miss it. Get your tickets early! All ages show.