That was one helluva Harlem Hipshaker

The Bongolian, Harlem Hipshake album launch show at Arlington Arts on Friday, October 28. Review by BRIAN HARRINGTON

The Bongolian is the alter-ego of local musician Nasser Bouzida and the new album, Harlem Hipshake, comes 20 years after the release of his first album. The show tonight was a real celebration of both the new album and that career.

Nasser is one of those rare multi-talented people who richly deserves recognition, a multi-instrumentalist who moves seamlessly from various keyboards and synths to bongos and snare drums to DJ scratching. On top of all that he is also an artist and there was an exhibition and sale of some of his artwork.

The show started with a one-hour DJ set playing 60s Latin and soul on vinyl which, despite spinning some great tracks to set the scene could not really succeed because much of the audience remained in the bar or waited until closer to 9pm to arrive, eager to enjoy the main event.

Appearing as a six-piece tonight The Bongolian put on a great show which musically covered their entire musical career. Their sound is funamentally danceable jazz, soaked in funk and Latin rhythms blended with the widescreen 60s movie soundtrack sounds that often accompany red Alfa Romeos speeding around hairpin bends in the Italian Alps.

It didn’t take long for the audience to start bopping.

Tracks like Flatfoot Hustle, The Champion, Bert’s Jazz and Self Sacrifice (which owed more than a little to the Santana classic Soul Sacrifice) were superb.

Towards the end of the show the band was joined by dancer Roxy Storm, most notably for the track Googa Mama.

The much-demanded encore of Mongo’s Onions (a track based around Cuban percussionist Mongo Santamaria’s version of the Booker T and the MG’s classic Green Onions) provided a suitably exuberant ending.

Musically and visually brilliant.