Zuba

Jerry Boweh, a Liberian vocalist and rhythm player, assembled the multi-national septet Zuba in 1999 to support a charity performance for Liberia. Musicians drawn from Liberia, Zimbabwe, the Basque Country of Spain, and the Scottish locales of Isle of Islay, Glasgow, and Aberdeen give the group its worldwide musical character. The Scotsman singled out the "defiantly upbeat international mix," while the Guardian noted that "an exile's longing for home, a riposte against injustice and the simple urge to dance those troubles away...underlie their cosmopolitan sound." Steady recognition arrived after the self-titled 1999 debut EP surpassed 1,000 copies sold. February 2001 brought the first full-length album, Chameleon, which led to an extended tour of Europe and the United Kingdom.