Keziah Jones

On April 16, 2027, Keziah Jones performs at La Laiterie in Strasbourg with a set at the crossroads of blues, soul and funk. A Nigerian musician and a leading figure of blufunk — a genre he helped shape — he blends percussive riffs, a spare groove and pop melodies without abandoning his West African roots. On stage, his upfront guitar playing and supple voice map out a nomadic music, constantly reinventing itself. In his lyrics a sense of commitment emerges: he questions the place of the Black man in the Western world and weaves an ongoing link between Nigeria and Europe.

A multidisciplinary artist, Keziah Jones moves forward unconstrained by convention, blurring the lines between heritage and modernity, revisiting his classics and opening up new avenues. Under his given name, Olufemi Sanyaolu, he pursues a singular trajectory, far from effects and gimmicks, focused on rhythm, sound and directness. At La Laiterie, he appears in a compact ensemble for a concert where blufunk unfolds up close: percussive guitar, a funky pulse, soulful accents and flashes of blues.