Downtown | International Festival of Arts & Ideas | Arts & Culture
Photo Courtesy of the International Festival of Arts & Ideas.
Entering the University Theatre at 222 York St. last Thursday, it was difficult to tell who was happier. The ticket collectors smiled. Attendees beamed. Ushers seemed excited to be there as they directed people to their seats. It was, suddenly, impossible to be in a bad mood.
Inside, it was a full house. New Haven notables, jazz dedicatees, families, and friends chattered fervently. An echo of knowing spread throughout the room—that this would be worth the wait. That it was time to live the moment.
New Haven’s own jazz history felt alive last week, as Somi graced the University Theatre’s stage for one night only as part of the International Festival of Arts & Ideas. Performing in New Haven for the first time, the artist brought a soulful and rich sound to the Elm City, reigniting a long-held history of jazz with something entirely of her own.
That was clear from the very beginning of the night, as the show opened on a soulful, dramatically lit stage bright enough to highlight each instrumentalist—Toru Dodo on piano, Milena Casado on trumpet, Jonathan Michel on bass and Sheldon Thwaites on drums—and soft enough to allow Somi’s light to permeate the room.
It was a constellation of stars sparkling in unison, each independently capable of enchanting every listener. On a stool, there was a vibrant bouquet of orange and red roses in full bloom, as if they were already aware of what the night ahead had in store.
Somi Kakoma—who goes simply by Somi—stood center stage, in a floor length aqua-toned dress that brought to mind a watercolor painting. A round medallion glittered around her neck. She lifted an arm full of gold bangles. With a single smile, she radiated an ethereal presence that only living one’s purpose can convey. Then she hopped on the mic.
Somi sang about “yesterday,” with a reservoir of soul that channeled Sarah Vaughn. Around her, every artist on stage was just as exceptional: Dodo embarked on a solo that receded into itself, unleashing a sequence of steady notes with unbound might. These were notes that took up space. Notes that healed. Notes that unified. Notes that covered every emotion, and then kept going.
On trumpet, Casado matched him in intensity, the instrument full and resonant as though it were lifting off, and prepared to take the whole theater into outer space. Drumsticks and cymbals rippled through melodies. In the audience, listeners were all in the moment together. No flashing lights. No words necessary. Just jazz and joy.
“Toro sacrificed a lot to be here. He missed Japan playing in The World Cup,” Somi told the audience at one point. Listeners were luckier for it.
Back onstage, Somi’s hands waved delicately. Cymbals tapped. Her bare feet danced to a mellow piano groove. She slipped into a tribute to Miriam Makeba and Nina Simone, and it felt as if they were there, in the audience, cheering her on.
The two were “fearless and unapologetic about who they were as Black Women,” she later said (Somi is the exquisite brain and voice behind the album Zenzile: The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba, which came out in 2022 and also features collaborators like Angélique Kidjo and Gregory Porter). “They were concerned about [the] community at large.”
Every song seemed to bring the community closer to the stage, drawn by the wonder and wisdom of this spirit. In the tune “No Ghost,” Somi sang passionately about people in a relationship who disappeared without warning. When she invited the audience to sing along—We don’t want no ghost!—listeners-turned-singers chimed in, somewhere between a rumble and a roar. The lyrics gave validity to the situation; the final say went to the ghosted. This was redemption.
“I want to hear more,” said Michael Twitty, a longtime fan of Arts & Ideas who is an educator and counselor in the city. “ It was the sound of Africa that penetrates the heart in a great way. I love it!”
The music heard within the walls of University Theatre that night grabbed a listener (this listener, certainly) by the core. Surely, audience members thought, they could never commit to hearing Somi only once. When asked if she would come back to New Haven, Somi smiled. “I hope so!” she said.
We are here for it.