| Chopteeth | |
| Origin: | Washington, D.C., United States |
| Genre: | Afrofunk Afrobeat Funk Highlife Afropop |
| Years Active: | 2004 - present |
| Label: | Grisgris |
| Website: | www.chopteeth.com |
| Current Members: | Michael Shereikis, guitar and vocals Anna Mwalagho, vocals Robert Fox, bass Craig Considine, trombone Mark Gilbert, saxophones Justine Miller, trumpet and vocals Trevor Specht, saxophones and vocals Cheryl Terwilliger, trumpet Atta Addo, djembe & twinchin Mark Corrales, percussion David McDavitt, drums Jason Walker, drums and percussion Brian Simms, keyboards Jon Hoffschneider, keyboards Victor Crisen, guitar |
Chopteeth is a Washington, D.C.- based afrofunk big-band. Although rooted in Fela Kuti's Nigerian afrobeat, Chopteeth's music is an amalgam of Ghanaian highlife, Senegalese rumba, Jamaican ska, Mande griot music, 1970's West African funk, Ewe dance drum rhythms, Kenyan Taita afropop, soul-funk, and jazz.[1] Chopteeth's writing and arrangements feature unique driving syncopations, and occasional odd meters. Chopteeth vocalists sing in eight different languages including English, Nigerian Pidgin, Swahili, Wolof, Mande, Twi, Taita, and French.[1]
Founded in 2004 by Robert Fox (bass), ethnomusicologist Michael Shereikis (guitar & lead vocals), Jon Hoffschneider (keyboards), and bata drummer Mark Corrales (percussion), Chopteeth quickly attracted a stable line-up of musicians including saxophonist Mark Gilbert (Gladys Knight & the Pips, The Four Tops, Cab Calloway, Don Cherry), trombonist Craig Constadine (Busta Rhymes), trumpeter Justine Miller, Romanian guitarist Victor Crisen, Kenyan vocalist/dancer Anna Mwalagho, and Ghanaian music teacher David McDavitt (drums). In 2008 Ghanaian drummer Atta Addo joined Chopteeth on percussion.[2]
The name "Chopteeth" comes from a song by Fela Kuti called "J'ehin J'ehin". It refers to someone who eats his own teeth, a crazy person. Percussionist and former member Mark Corrales came up with that name for the band because he said they were insane to think they could sustain a large afrobeat band.
Chopteeth won several Wammies (Washington Area Music Awards)presented by the Washington Area Music Association (WAMA):[3]