Jembaa Groove’s sound — West African highlife woven through with jazz and Afrobeats, with vocals in Twi, Ga, Yoruba, and Pidgin English — has already earned the Berlin seven-piece KEXP and BBC 6 Music sessions. On Thursday, September 10, they bring it to The Bug Jar on Monroe Ave in Rochester: 120 people, one room, and a band that spent last year selling out venues across Europe.
About the Show
The ensemble formed in late 2020 when German bassist and producer Yannick Nolting and Ghanaian vocalist-percussionist Eric Owusu crossed paths at a Berlin playground while picking up their sons. Nolting had spent formative years producing with Lusophone artists in Lisbon; Owusu brought a lineage running through Ghanaian highlife, with credits alongside legends Ebo Taylor and Pat Thomas. Their debut album Susuma arrived in 2022; the 2024 full-length Ye Ankasa | We Ourselves expanded the band’s collaborator network to include Ghanaian artists K.O.G and Gyedu-Blay Ambolley. Their most recent release, Be A Lover (September 2024, Agogo Records), draws in Malian vocalist Fatoumata Diawara, Nigerian singer Tim Lyre, London soul artist Azekel, and Nigerian Highlife revivalists The Cavemen. Songlines called them “truly a global phenomenon. An original and accomplished fusion.” KEXP’s take: “a groovy blend of traditional West African and highlife rhythms infused with classic jazz and soul touchpoints.”
Alongside that recorded output, the band has appeared at festivals including Lowlands, MTN Bushfire, and Xjazz and completed their first headline North American tour in 2025. They return for a fall 2026 leg running September 3–12, Washington, D.C. to Chicago. Per the ticket page, this run features “a fresh line-up and brand new songs,” with new members Szabolcs Bognar on keys and Peter Somuah on trumpet joining the ensemble. Rochester is the sixth stop on the eight-date North American leg. Fusion act High Pines opens.
Venue & Logistics
The Bug Jar at 219 Monroe Ave is a 120-capacity bar and music venue in Rochester — a small room for a band that has been playing European festival circuits and selling out shows overseas. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. This is an 18-plus show; advance tickets for ages 18–20 are available online until 12:30 p.m. on the day of the show, but the door is strictly 21-plus. Advance tickets through TicketWeb close at 12:30 p.m. day-of regardless of age, so don’t leave it until the afternoon. The Finger Lakes region has additional shows worth stacking around this one if you’re making the trip to Rochester.
Tickets
Tickets are $20.79–$22.85, available through TicketWeb in advance only. Buy tickets