EPK

Balafon • Jazz •

West African Rhythms •

Groove

Sound Bridges is an award-winning NYC-based world music ensemble blending West African Mande traditions with jazz, funk, and groove-based styles. Featuring original compositions and the distinctive sound of the balafon, a wooden xylophone central to Mande music. the six-member ensemble creates vibrant, rhythm-driven music that is energetic, engaging, and danceable.

BIO

Founded in 2019, Sound Bridges grew from a shared interest in exploring the balafon’s distinctive melodic and rhythmic language as a foundation for creating new music.

Led by bandleader, composer, and balafonist Andy Algire, the ensemble brings together musicians from Côte d’Ivoire, Madagascar, Austria, and the United States, drawing on decades of collective experience across West African music, jazz, and other musical traditions. Its members have worked with internationally recognized artists including Angélique Kidjo, Youssou N’Dour, Toumani Diabaté, Hassan Hakmoun, Randy Brecker, and Joe Locke.

With two balafons, guitar, electric bass, drum set, djembe, tama, and West African percussion, the ensemble performs original compositions and arrangements inspired by traditional Mande music. Polyrhythms, improvisation, strong melodic themes, and the interplay between the balafons and contemporary rhythm section are central to the group’s sound.

Sound Bridges has received support from NYFA, New Music USA, the Puffin Foundation, and local arts councils. Recent highlights include a 2025 commission from the Carnegie Concert Series at Nyack Library and a 2026 New England tour.