Marcus Samuelsson is a New York City-based chef who fell in love with the multiplicity of African musical styles he discovered when researching an African cookbook. He collaborated with DJ Donna D'Cruz on a sound installation at the Studio Museum in Harlem that featured music by a wildly diverse group of musicians from all over the world, demonstrating the far-reaching African influence. This album compiles some of the best tracks from that exhibit. Far from being a dry history or geography lesson, this album vibrates with life.