BRAZILIAN GIRLS AND ZAP MAMA COMPLETE A DIVERSE, ALL-FEMALE FRONTED NIGHT OF MUSIC

SUNDAY, AUGUST 26, AT 7 PM

Media sponsor for all World Festival performances: KCRW 89.9

As part of KCRW's World Festival series, Macy Gray returns to the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday, August 26, in support of BIG, her first album in nearly four years. Macy joins her band of hand-picked musicians and performs hits from BIG, as well as hits from her first three multi-platinum releases. Zap Mama performs genre-blending music influenced from nearly every corner of the musical landscape, and Brazilian Girls make their Hollywood Bowl debut. Together, the three acclaimed acts make the perfect trifecta for an all-female fronted night of music. KCRW DJ Chris Douridas hosts.

Since her 1999 debut album, On How Life Is, for which she garnered several Grammy nominations and a win for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Macy Gray has been one of the top selling female performers of the new millennium. The production of BIG was helmed by will.i.am, frontman of the Black Eyed Peas, and Ron Fair, legendary producer of Christina Aguilera and The Pussycat Dolls. BIG features collaborations with A-list artists such as Justin Timberlake, Fergie, and Natalie Cole.

Joining Gray on this eve of world music is Zap Mama, whose acclaimed signature sound blends such diverse genres as soul, gospel, and Afro-Cuban rhythms. The Grammy-winning and chart-topping artist is fronted by the creative vision of Marie Daulne. Born in the Congo, but raised in Belgium, Daulne has dedicated her life to uniting musical cultures. Zap Mama is truly a global sensation as the New York Times rightly declared them, "a utopian multicultural dream." They perform Sunday in support of their recent release, Supermoon.

Opening the show is Brazilian Girls, which is, ironically, an all-male ensemble with the exception of front-woman, Italian-born, Sabina Sciubba. Brazilian Girls, who KCRW Music Director Nic Harcourt describes as "sexy as hell," return from worldwide touring and festival circuits to make their debut at the Hollywood Bowl. Although not Brazilian, and mostly male, Brazilian Girls perfectly complements this eclectic line-up. This is also its only scheduled U.S. performance for the remainder of the year. Brazilian Girls never fail to put on an incredible show. Combining electronic, dance, rock and world music, the band has coined the phrase "melting pop" with Sciubba singing in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish, sometimes in the same sentence.

The 2007 KCRW World Festival at the Hollywood Bowl concludes with Underworld, one of the most influential acts to emerge from the dance world. Underworld showcases their new record at the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday, September 9. Joining them for this evening of electronica heavyweights is Paul Oakenfold, one of the most important DJ artists in modern club culture, and Carmen Rizzo, a Grammy-nominated producer, composer, and remixer who adds Persian influences to the DJ set.

MACY GRAY - singer, songwriter, performer, actress, entrepreneur and philanthropist - earned a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her 1999 hit single, "I Try," which also received nominations for Song of the Year and Record of the Year. Her debut album On How Life Is went on to sell more than 7 million copies worldwide. Her second and third albums, 2001's The Id, and 2003's The Trouble with Being Myself, led to a worldwide tour. Now, Macy Gray is now back with BIG, the first for will.i.am music group/Geffen Records. With will.i.am and Ron Fair behind the console for most of the album, BIG ranges from soulful to soaring, funky to far out. As an actress, Macy has appeared in Training Day, made a cameo in Spider Man, performed in Scary Movie 3, and Jackie Chan's remake of Around the World in 80 Days. More recently, she has appeared in Domino, was cast opposite Cuba Gooding Jr. in Shadowboxer and had a major role in OutKast's Idlewild musical. She's also earned an NAACP Image Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in the Emmy-nominated HBO movie Lackawanna Blues, and guest-starred on Lifetime's The Missing, ABC's drama MDs and the NBC series American Dreams. The singer has also established her own music school, the M. Gray Music Academy in North Hollywood's NoHo arts district. After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, Macy founded One by One, an organization which cooperates with the Red Cross in supplying aid to victims of the disaster. One by One will receive a portion of her touring proceeds.

ZAP MAMA has morphed from an a cappella quintet into the creative vision of one woman surrounded by talent from nearly every corner of the musical landscape. Born in the Congo, but raised in Belgium, Marie Daulne, the founder and fronting member of Zap Mama, spends her life crossing continents, uniting musical cultures through the wonders of voice, music and dynamic performance. Adventures in Afropea I, the group's 1993 debut recording, wove together music from Zaire, Tanzania, Syria, France and Spain. Afropea became the biggest selling non-compilation album in the history of the Luaka Bop label and reached #1 on the Billboard World Music Charts.1994's Sabsylma received a Grammy nomination in the Best World Music Album category. In 1997, the group released 7 on Virgin Records, incorporating elements of R&B and pop. The 1999 release of A Ma Zone, on Narada, included breakbeats, jazz lines on upright bass, turntable manipulation, and collaborations with Black Thought (of The Roots) and Speech from Arrested Development. Daulne returned to Luaka Bop for the 2004 release of Ancestry in Progress, which earned Daulne another #1 spot on the Billboard World Music charts. Marie Daulne and Zap Mama released Supermoon on August 7, 2007 - the debut recording on Heads Up International. A blend of world, jazz, pop, funk, reggae and soul, the album includes guest appearances by stellar figures from around the globe: drummer Tony Allen; bassist Meshell Ndegeocello and Will Lee; guitarists David Gilmore and Michael Franti; pianists Leon Pendarvis and Robbie Kondor, percussionist Bashiri Johnson and more. Daulne devotes much of her time and energy in working to protect human rights and fight global poverty.

Talk To La Bomb, the sophomore album from BRAZILIAN GIRLS, distills the surging energy of all cultures, all moods into a single, dynamic album. The twelve new tracks bristle with immediacy, packing a sonic wallop that contrasts vividly with the group's sinewy, sexy 2005 self-titled debut. The band began by performing at the intimate lounge, Nublu, on Avenue C in New York City. As the accolades accrued internationally, those impromptu Sunday night sessions were replaced by extended tours, and the band found itself playing increasingly larger venues. Larger crowds intensified the music, especially for singer Sabina Sciubba, who spews a stream of consciousness lyric that incorporates English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish…often in the same sentence. The album, much of which was conceived during spontaneous jams, was recorded at the legendary Electric Lady Studios in New York, with producer Mark Plati (David Bowie, The Cure, Deee-Lite). The band also worked with Ric Ocasek of The Cars, Tchad Blake and Rich Costey and are joined on the album by Clark Gayton (trombone, baritone, saxophone), Peck Almond (woodwinds), Ric Ocasek (guitar), Jorge Continentino (flutes, saxophone), James Zollar (flugelhorn, trumpet) and Mauro Refosco (percussion).

One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000, the HOLLYWOOD BOWL has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922, and in 1991 gave its name to the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, a resident ensemble that has filled a special niche in the musical life of Southern California. The 2004 season introduced audiences to a revitalized Hollywood Bowl, featuring a newly-constructed shell and stage and the addition of four stadium screens enhancing stage views in the venue. To this day, $1 buys a seat at the top of the Bowl for many of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's concerts. While the Bowl is best known for its sizzling summer nights, during the day California's youngest patrons enjoy "SummerSounds: Music for Kids at the Hollywood Bowl," the Southland's most popular summer arts festival for children, now in its 39th season. Attendance figures over the past several decades have soared: in 1980 the Bowl first topped the half-million mark and close to one million admissions have been recorded. In February 2007, the Hollywood Bowl was named Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue for the third year in a row at the 18th Annual Pollstar Concert Industry Awards; the Bowl's summer music festival has become as much a part of a Southern California summer as beaches and barbecues, the Dodgers, and Disneyland.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

SUNDAY, AUGUST 26 at 7 PM

HOLLYWOOD BOWL, 2301 N. Highland Ave. in Hollywood

KCRW World Festival

In order of appearance:

BRAZILIAN GIRLS

ZAP MAMA

MACY GRAY

Chris Douridas, host

Tickets ($7 - $95) are on sale now at HollywoodBowl.com, at the Hollywood Bowl Box Office (Tuesday - Saturday, 12 p.m. - 6 p.m.), or by calling Ticketmaster at 213.480.3232, and at all Ticketmaster outlets. Groups of 10 or more may be eligible for a 20% discount, subject to availability; call 323.850.2050 for further details. For general information or to request a brochure, call 323.850.2000.

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