Senegalese bassist and composer Alune Wade moves between continents, connecting musical traditions that share deeper roots. With his project New African Orleans, he explores the relationship between West African rhythms, Afrobeat and juju from Lagos, and the brass band heritage of New Orleans. Wade approaches this music as a conversation across the Atlantic. His compositions bring together rhythmic cycles, melodic fragments, and ensemble textures that echo both sides of that history. The bass often acts as a grounding force, guiding the music through shifting grooves and layered percussion.

Working with musicians from Senegal, Nigeria, and the United States, Wade builds a sound that is collective and open. References to artists such as Manu Dibango, Dr. John, and Charlie Parker appear not as quotations, but as part of a shared lineage. Live, the music feels both grounded and in motion. Rhythms circulate, horns rise and recede, and the ensemble moves as one. At Jazz Middelheim, Wade’s project highlights how jazz continues to grow through exchange, memory, and connection.