LOS ANGELES, CA—The Skirball Cultural Center announces the twenty-seventh annual free summertime live music series Sunset Concerts. Taking place in the heart of the Skirball’s relaxing, communal oasis, the 2024 summer season explores the diaspora and identity of African and Caribbean artists whose music warmly embraces humanity’s inherent right to freedom. Sunset Concerts have been presented since 1997 and draw music fans of all ages from across greater LA and beyond.

The 2024 Sunset Concerts schedule is as follows: El Laberinto del Coco (July 18); Bab L’ Bluz (July 25); Waahli (August 1); Artist TBA (August 08).

“Every year for the past 26 years these Sunset Concerts nights have reminded us how lucky we are to live in Los Angeles, how diverse our community is, and how love of music is so quickly something we can all share,” comments Skirball Cultural Center President and CEO Jessie Kornberg. “I don’t know of a more intimate outdoor concert venue in the southland, and seeing these artists here is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

“We are extremely excited about this year's Sunset Concerts season, which, in addition to exploring the diverse musical traditions and innovations from Africa and the Caribbean, also puts a spotlight on artists who strive to construct culturally interconnected, welcoming spaces,” says Marlene Braga, Vice President of Programs. “Attendees will be treated to genres such as Afro-Puerto Rican bomba fusion, Franco-Moroccan psychedelic rock, and Haitian-inspired Canadian hip-hop.”

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The 2024 Sunset Concerts are presented free of charge. Walk-up tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Parking will be available on-site at the Skirball for $20 upon arrival. Street parking is strictly prohibited.

Visitors are encouraged to arrive early to eat, drink, shop, and enjoy complimentary admission to the exhibitions beginning at 6:30 pm.

Currently on view are the exhibitions Wild Things Are Happening: The Art of Maurice Sendak, Frank Stella: Had Gayda, The American Library, and Common Ground. All four of the exhibitions will remain open on Sunset Concerts evenings until 10:00 pm.

Light fare along with a full bar will be available until 8:00 pm in the Founders Courtyard. Bar service and snacks will also be available in the Taper Courtyard, where the concerts take place, until 10:00 pm. Guests may bring their own food, but no outside alcoholic beverages or chairs are permitted.

Audrey’s Museum Store will be open until 9:30 pm, offering merchandise inspired by the Skirball’s mission, values, and programming.

For more information about Sunset Concerts, please visit: https://www.skirball.org/programs/sunset-concerts.

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About the Artists

EL LABERINTO DEL COCO
Thursday, July 18, 8:00 pm (doors at 6:30 pm)

“A genre-bending collective built around the folklore and rhythmic styles of bomba.”—NPR

​​The island of Puerto Rico is known for various musical styles that have influenced not just Latin music, but also global musical trends. From the Afro-Caribbean styles that make up the salsa boom of the 1970s to the "BOOM-chicka-BOOM" of the reggaeton beat that came to dominate the charts, Puerto Rican musicians innovate while never straying far from tradition. El Laberinto del Coco, an Afro-Puerto Rican bomba fusion ensemble founded by visionary percussionist Hector “Coco” Barez in 2017, delivers on the island's musical innovation while honoring bomba's genesis as music of resistance by enslaved Africans. El Laberinto del Coco, which translates to "Labyrinth of the Mind," reflects a commitment to pushing the boundaries of traditional bomba music while staying true to its essence. El Laberinto's highly energetic performances not only entertain but also educate, as the multi-racial band members often share the historical and cultural significance of bomba music during their shows.

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BAB L’ BLUZ
Thursday, July 25, 8:00 pm (doors at 6:30 pm)

“Fiery psychedelia to lift your soul coming straight out of the Maghreb”—The Arts Desk

Bab L' Bluz (literally "The Door of the Blues") is a Franco-Moroccan group created in 2018 in Marrakech following the meeting of the Moroccan singer/guitarist Yousra Mansour and the French guitarist/producer Brice Bottin.

Armed with their electric guembris, Bab L' Bluz resonates a mixture of Gnawa trance rhythms, Hassani songs from southern Morocco, and Chaâbi polyrhythms, propelling their music into the magnetic fields of psychedelic rock and volutes of incense.

Led by a woman doukkalia, the group carries an attitude of the revolutionary Moroccan youth movement "Nayda," a new wave of artists and committed musicians who are inspired by the local heritage, singing texts of freedom in the Moroccan-Arabic dialect Darija.

Very active since its creation, the power quartet travels the globe to distill its hypnotic riffs and spread its mystical and liberating headbanging frenzy to its audience—a true signature of the group.

Poetic and powerful, Bab L' Bluz is an expanding universe, a sonic territory that transcends boundaries.

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WAAHLI
Thursday, August 1, 8:00 pm (doors at 6:30 pm)

“Whether singing or rapping, in Creole, French or English, Waahli is resonant, warm and in full command.”—CBC

Waahli is a Montreal-based artist whose parents originally hail from Haiti. Raised in a family where music is omnipresent, he was immersed in traditional Haitian melodies from artists such as Tabou Combo, Coupé Cloué, and Manno Charlemagne. Waahli’s songs, which feature lyrics in English, French, and Haitian Creole, are a fusion of catchy rhythms at the crossroads of rap and Afro-beat and are a true tribute to Haitian culture. In 2004, Waahli co-founded the mythical hip hop group Nomadic Massive in Montreal. With its ancestral rhythms and sharp words, Waahli’s innovative hip-hop takes us to the four corners of the world.

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ARTIST TBA

Thursday, August 8, 8:00 pm (doors at 6:30 pm)

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Editors, please note:

2024 SUNSET CONCERTS
Skirball Cultural Center
2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90049
(310) 440-4500 • skirball.org

All concerts begin at 8:00 pm. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

FREE admission

Walk-up tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. https://www.skirball.org/programs/sunset-concerts

Parking (at the door): $20

Street parking is strictly prohibited.

Or take Metro Rapid 761/233.

Carpooling, ridesharing, and Metro are encouraged.

Light fare and full bar service will be available for purchase. Guests may bring their own food. Note: No outside alcoholic beverages or chairs are permitted.

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Sunset Concerts at the Skirball are generously sponsored by:

The Bilger Family

The 2024 Sunset Concerts season is made possible in part by additional support from:

Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles 
Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture
UCLA Luskin Hotel and Conference Center
U.S. Bank

Media sponsors:

KCRW 89.9 FM
Los Angeles Magazine

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About Sunset Concerts at the Skirball
Marking its twenty-seventh season in 2024, the longstanding summer concert series kicked off just a year after the Skirball Cultural Center opened to the public in 1996 when the Skirball began to hold monthly dinnertime concerts inside its restaurant, Zeidler’s Café. Upon popular demand, the Skirball launched a free concert series on Thursday nights the following summer. These performances took place in the Skirball’s much more spacious central courtyard, offering a view of the hillside at dusk, and soon the series was named Sunset Concerts at the Skirball. For several seasons in those early years, along with Grand Performances in downtown and Santa Monica Pier’s Twilight Concerts, Sunset Concerts at the Skirball represented one of the city’s few free outdoor summer music series, launching a summertime tradition that has been adopted by multiple organizations throughout Los Angeles.

Noteworthy Sunset Concerts performers over the years have included Lila Downs, Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars (US debut tour), Bassekou Kouyate, Yasmin Levy (US debut), Hugh Masekela, Vieux Farka Touré (LA debut), Natacha Atlas, Red Baraat, Conjunto Chappotín y Sus Estrellas (US debut tour), Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, Novalima, Daymé Arocena, Goapele, Kishi Bashi, The Marías, The Klezmatics, Gaby Moreno, Quetzal, Booker T. Jones, Billy Valentine, and Antibalas.

About the Skirball Cultural Center
The Skirball Cultural Center is a place of meeting guided by the Jewish tradition of welcoming the stranger and inspired by the American democratic ideals of freedom and equality. We welcome people of all communities and generations to participate in cultural experiences that celebrate discovery and hope, foster human connections, and call upon us to help build a more just society.

Visiting the Skirball
The Skirball is located at 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90049. Museum hours: Tuesday–Friday, 12:00–5:00 pm; Saturday–Sunday, 10:00 am–5:00 pm; closed Mondays and holidays. Reservations are recommended for General Admission and the permanent exhibition Noah's Ark at the Skirball, which requires timed entry and is ticketed separately. Tickets are $18 for adults, and $15 for seniors, full-time students, and children 2-17 years old The Skirball is always FREE for Members and children under 2 years old. For general information, the public may call (310) 440-4500 or visit skirball.org.

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