FRITETE AFROJAZZ GOSPEL BAND - View Photo Gallery

Fritete means things of the Ancient; this word, however, has just been adopted by a newly-formed group of jazz musicians in the Washington metropolitan area who have founded the Fritete Afro Jazz Gospel Band. The group, led by traditional African musician Kwame Ansah-Brew, is an offshoot of his Fritete African Drum and Dance Ensemble.

“After discovering the saxophone, my love of the instrument prompted me to fuse it with African traditional music,” says Ansah-Brew. “In my work at Goucher College and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, as well as my experiences sharing the joy of music with audiences at Smithsonian, Wolftrap and the Kennedy Center, I have come to believe that music is an ever-evolving experience that can encompass new transformations and form new audiences with every decade.”

Afro Jazz is a fusion of Afrobeats with Western instruments. Accessing the deep, primordial pulse-beats of the most ancient African nations, and fusing it with the instruments of European society at the peak of its cultural sophistication, the Fritete Afro Jazz Gospel Band touches its listeners at the core and raises their spiritual connection to new levels with every note!

Fritete Afro Jazz Gospel Band celebrates with the new sound of a new generation. In addition to its African roots and European influences, it is also informed by the gospel of the American cultural stage. Its music appeals to globally-minded, spiritually- enlightened believers all over the world.  

The Fritete sound includes the sounds of electric keyboards, saxophone, bass guitar, drum set, and of course African instruments such as shakers, bells, xylophone, string instruments and traditional African drums.

The Fritete repertoire includes instrumental gospel inspiration taken from the old traditions of African traditional hymns and praise songs which appeal to a wide variety of listeners, from the very old to the very young.

“I believe that every people’s body of musical knowledge and every people’s musical instruments are a gift from the Creator,” Ansah-Brew says, “…and, as such, I believe it is a just response for us to praise Him with those musical gifts. We should not discard the instruments our past, but utilize them in our modern-day praise. Psalm 150, verses 3-6 are special verses to me; they speak of praising the Lord with the sounding of the trumpet, the harp and lyre, the tambourine and with dancing, strings and flute, with the clash of cymbals.”  

Once you acquaint yourself with the experience of Fritete, you will not be able to forget that experience! So, sit back and relax. Soon you will be on your feet, praising Him on High and discovering new dimensions of praise.

The Fritete Afro Jazz Gospel Band is available for concerts and festivals and other musical celebrations.   View Photo Gallery