Opus 40 + Hudson Valley Live present: Jupiter & Okwess!

*Rain or Shine: at Opus 40*

Hailing from the Democratic Republic of Congo and effortlessly blending Afropop, funk, rock and jazz,  Jupiter & Okwess are touring the US this summer with stops at Coachella, Bonnaroo, Newport Folk Festival, and for the first time: Opus 40! 

5:30 Gates / 7PM Show

$25 / All Ages

Food by Bina's Cafe / Drinks by Stockade Tavern

Na Kozonga: I’m going home. That’s Jupiter’s wish, and the title of his third album. Since the release of Hotel Univers and Kin Sonic, ‘the Rebel General’ and his band Okwess have been around the globe, making their sound heard in its four corners – the rockiest sound ever to emerge from the Congo. That vast country, scandalously wealthy in geological and musical terms, possesses an inexhaustible reservoir of rhythms and sounds that Jupiter and Okwess draw from to generate energy for the feet, and nourishment (‘okwess’) for the soul. All under the energetic direction of a band leader whose elongated silhouette and allusive speech are enough to make the sculptures of Giacometti pallid with envy. Well, what do you know: this fantastic troupe have only one desire, to go back to the Congo. 

Let’s take ourselves back to the end of the 1970s. Jupiter has just returned from a long spell in East Berlin where his father was a diplomat. There, already playing fast and loose with frontiers, he crosses the famous wall, morning and evening, to go to school in West Berlin. He loves listening to James Brown and The Jackson Five; or even, when his father turns up the volume, the hits of Claude François. Eclecticism has never scared him. It’s on the eastern side the Iron Curtain that he forms his first band: die Neger (‘The Niggers’). ‘Neger’ is one of the first German words he learns, thanks to the all the people who point their fingers at him as he passes them on the street. His own ‘niggers’ are recruited from among the children of other diplomats - Belgian, Cambodian, Gabonese, Spanish - and they play for fun on self-made instruments. One thing he already knows for sure: the world belongs to everyone, and from that rock-solid belief comes the song ‘The World is My Land’, which appears on his first album, almost thirty years later.

What to expect when attending an event at Opus 40:

-Entry is at 356 George Sickle Rd, Saugerties, NY

-No Pets (sorry, we love animals!)

-Concerts may be canceled if there are sustained heavy rain storms. All ticket buyers will get an email and full refunds. Updates will be on our facebook + instagram as well

-Bring a chair / picnic blanket. We also have a limited number of wooden folding chairs and picnic tables on site.

-No Outside Food or Alcoholic Beverages. Outside snacks and non-alcoholic beverages are OK (small coolers only). Every show has 1-2 food local vendors onsite as well as cocktails/beer/wine at the Stockade Tavern barcart. Water/Drinks, Snacks and more available in the gift shop.

-The Sculpture typically closes when music begins. We encourage you to come early and explore the grounds before the show!

-ADA parking is available (follows signage) and Carpooling is always encouraged!

-Children under 5 years old are free and do not require a ticket. Please be considerate that this is a concert and not a playground, and that all children under 15 must be with guardian on the sculpture.

Enjoy the show and do not hesitate to reach out with any questions: info@opus40.org