African rhythms overwhelming the festival visitors and Osibisa spreading them all over the other venues after the concert.
"Something’s about to happen in Maribor today,”Teddy Osei announced to the crowd at the Central stage after some calmer introductory rhythms. Osibisa soon changed the tone and a dancy melody took over everyone and everything. Feet started to stump, hips were restless and shoulders were swinging to the rhythms of bongos, while hands were imitating their sound. “We will take you to the very heart of Africa,” said Teddy, one of the founding members of the band, while the others kept the wild melodies alive. The energetic frontman still masters several instruments despite his enviable age and his voice is a special trademark of Osibisa’s unique music.
Osibisa more than justified the origin of its name – “rhythms exploding with happiness”. Their repertoire included all songs and hits we known before, but maybe didn’t know whom to attribute them to. It didn’t take long until the floating stage got its first dancers and as the evening progressed there were more and more. Teddy Osei fulfilled his prediction and turned the cold evening into a fresh breeze. Unknowingly they extended their relaxed, swingy performance late into the night.
But the rhythms of the old continent were not only heard on the Central stage at the Drava river. After the concert the band members visited the other festival venues where they impressed with their casualness and diverseness. Of course they couldn’t just go past the Old radio venue where there are loud jam sessions every night – actually, some of the members were jamming there the night before. “The love I feel right now, right here …” Gregg Kofi Brown was not able to finish the sentence when the crowd did not allow him to leave the jam stage.
