For his 2024 album Wake The Dead, veteran California singer-songwriter Chuck Prophet teamed up with the cumbia band ¿Qiensave? to meld their sounds. Prophet immersed himself in cumbia music during his treatment for stage four lymphoma; it was a source of comfort and when he recovered, he was inspired to bring its vibrant, danceable energy into his own songwriting.
This week, for a sold out Free At Noon audience, Prophet and a new live band called His Cumbia Shoes showed off his latest creative chapter, a warmup for his headlining performance Friday night at World Cafe Live’s Music Hall. You can see photos of the midday concert below, and keep your ears open — the recording of this week’s Free At Noon will be used later this year on an episode of World Cafe.