Name: Biamp Portland Jazz Festival: Mitchum Yacoub + Jungle Fire
Start: 2026-03-14T20:00:00-07:00
Location: The Get Down

Biamp Portland Jazz Festival: Mitchum Yacoub + Jungle Fire

MITCHUM YACOUB
Mitchum Yacoub is an Egyptian-American multi-instrumentalist, producer, and DJ based out of San Diego, CA. As a lifelong drummer who has supported many projects in the vein of Afrobeat, Soul, Funk, and Reggae, he’s been slow-brewing a unique feel for roots and dance music. Inspired by artists like Fela Kuti, Dr. Dre, and James Brown, his group harkens back to Africa in the ’70s with the bass and drums turned up a notch — strong, repetitive grooves layered with Afro-Latin percussion and vibrant, tightly executed horn lines that call all dancers to the floor.
Yacoub’s live band has played alongside roots music heavies like Tinariwen, The Wailers, Antibalas, Jungle Fire, and Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto. They supported Seun Kuti for six shows across the U.S., while Yacoub traded off between percussion and drum kit for Kuti’s band Egypt 80 (formerly of Fela Kuti). The experience trained him well in the rhythmic strength of the music and earned his band a place in the global Afrobeat scene.
Originality, musicianship, and a massive sound are three marks keeping the band on the road and a fast-growing festival favorite. His debut album, Living High in the Brass Empire (2023, All-Town Sound), brings this sound home and has garnered attention from KCRW and BBC6, placing “Los Muñequitos” in Jeremy Sole’s Top 10 Songs of 2024. Yacoub is currently crafting his second record, exploring deeper intersections of Afrobeat, Cumbia, and Soul to reach the spirit.
JUNGLE FIRE
The JUNGLE FIRE sound is a deep foray into Afro/Latin Funk with an approach that is authentic and highly explosive. The Los Angeles-based TropiFunk juggernaut draws inspiration from legends such as Irakere, Ray Barretto, James Brown, Fela Kuti, and Manu Dibango, creating a melting pot of Afro-Caribbean and West African rhythms with heavy break beat funk.
Originally conceived as a one-off project in 2011, JUNGLE FIRE quickly gained attention lighting up clubs and underground warehouse parties in Los Angeles’ thriving funk/soul scene. Word of mouth connected them to Colemine Records, which cut their first 7” single, “Comencemos” (a cover of Fela Kuti’s “Let’s Start”). Lauded by DJs, tastemakers, and funk fans worldwide, it sold out internationally and led to their second release, “Firewalker.” Their 2014 debut LP Tropicoso earned critical acclaim via Los Angeles’ Nacional Records, followed by Jambú (2017), which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard Latin charts and led to features in films, commercials, and TV shows for VICE, Lipton, Starbucks, NIKE, the Emmy Awards, and Lionsgate’s How to Be a Latin Lover with Eugenio Derbez and Salma Hayek.
In 2019, the band scored its first film, the Emmy-nominated documentary 18th & Grand, which premiered in 2021. Much of that music appears on their 2020 self-titled album. They also contributed to Eugenio Derbez’s 2022 film The Valet and have been featured across HBO, Netflix, Hulu, and ESPN.
JUNGLE FIRE’s diverse musical and cultural backgrounds mirror Los Angeles’ multicultural landscape. Individually and collectively, members have recorded or toured with Stevie Wonder, Breakestra, Ozomatli, Rhye, Quantic, Alice Russell, De La Soul, La Santa Cecilia, Celia Cruz, Natalia Lafourcade, LCD Soundsystem, U2, The Greyboy Allstars, and Kelis. Their live performances combine originals and deep Afro/Latin Funk covers in a fiery mix-tape style. As Juno Records (UK) put it: “Few bands live up to their name in the way JUNGLE FIRE do... each jam blazes the floor with real power.”
Since forming, JUNGLE FIRE has played festivals and venues around the world, sharing stages with Shuggie Otis, The Blackbyrds, Lee Fields, Charles Wright, Brownout, and The Budos Band. Highlights include their 2013 UK tour, Colombia’s Mompox Jazz Festival, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, São Paulo’s SESC Pompéia, and Los Angeles’ 2016 NYELA celebration before 50,000 attendees. Their 10-year anniversary season opened with a sold-out 2022 Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival performance, followed by appearances at Havana Jazz Plaza, Mexico City, and Tenerife’s Canarias Jazz & Más.
In 2024, JUNGLE FIRE focused on writing, recording, and collaborating with artists worldwide and are now gearing up to release new records and perform throughout the United States.
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The Biamp Portland Jazz Festival, March 5-14, 2026, is a multi-venue, citywide celebration of sound and culture presented throughout Portland, Oregon. Dedicated to evolving out loud, the Festival honors America’s art form while embracing its future—bringing together legendary masters, boundary-breaking artists, and rising local talents who are redefining jazz and expanding its reach across genres and generations.