The JoGo Project - JoGo Groove Tour
The JoGo Project is one of the busiest bands in the greater Washington, DC area, coming up on its 10th year since inception. Fusing many styles of music, JoGo is a cranking Go-Go band with Jazz harmonies and melodies at the core. Founded by DC native and in-demand saxophonist Elijah Jamal Balbed (and one of Chuck Brown’s last saxophonists), The JoGo Project is dedicated to preserving the legacy of Chuck Brown, promoting DC’s Go-Go music, and continuing to find their own sound while exploring the fusions of Jazz and Go-Go musics. From 2021-2023, JoGo maintained a monthly residency known as #BmoreLovesGogo at Baltimore’s premier Jazz Club Keystone Korner, a series produced by NEA Jazz Master Todd Barkan.
The band has written a lot of original music and been recognized for it. In 2017, members of JoGo wrote music that was featured on the Ubisoft video game The Division 2. Their 2019 single “Dear Draylen” – a song dedicated to a young musician in Texas who was killed in a package bombing – won the 2019 WAMMIE Award for Best Go-Go Song. In 2020, JoGo collaborated with Go-Go legend Sugar Bear (of Experience Unlimited) to record their first ever holiday song “JoGo Christmas”. In 2023, a several year collaboration with JusPaul (lead vocalist of The Blackbyrds and DC music stalwart) culminated in the release of JoGo’s most recent single “Baby Fever”, available on all streaming platforms. This June, join The JoGo Project for the release of their newest single “JoGo Groove” – an upbeat, funky dance song written by Elijah Balbed and one of JoGo’s newest vocal collaborators Bravo Reds.
