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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221016T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221016T210000
DTSTAMP:20221012T140500Z
CREATED:20220707T030952Z
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SUMMARY:Al Bilali Soudan
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a concert from Al Bilali Soudan from Timbuktu\, Mali. Their performance is an improvisational tour de force of traditional instruments (incl. tehardant and calabash)\, rhythms\, and scales. These traditional instruments are foundational to the development of the style that has evolved into the modern desert blues sound. \n\n\n\n\nTickets\n\n\n\n\n***In line with our commitment to equity\, love and justice\, we ask that you please keep your mask on at our indoor events.  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe group members all come from a well-known Tuareg griot family who have performed for generations. Aballow Yattara is the current group leader. Other members of the group are his uncle Aboubacrine Yattara and their sons Mohamed Ag Abellow and Tchiale Ag Aboubacrine.  \n\n\n\nAbellow and Aboubacrine Yattara began to play the tehardant\, a three-stringed fretless instrument that some refer to as precursor to modern banjo\, when they were adolescents. Both their fathers were master musicians. His uncle can be heard on the first recordings of traditional music in Northern Mali. Abellow Yattara can be heard on early recordings by Ali Farka Toure\, on 1970’s recordings of the Orchestre de Tombouctou\, and many Radio Mali broadcasts. He accompanied the vocalist\, Khaira Arby\, on recordings and on tour. In 2010 he gave a master class at Berklee College of Music in Boston. \n\n\n\nHear the interview with Al Bilali Soudan
URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/al-bilali-soudan/
LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States
CATEGORIES:African Music,Performance
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/20110131-Al-Bilali-Soudan-album-cover-1200w.jpg
END:VEVENT
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220921T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220921T210000
DTSTAMP:20230213T174122Z
CREATED:20220627T223026Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230213T174122Z
UID:10001611-1663786800-1663794000@www.mediasanctuary.org
SUMMARY:Les Filles de Illighadad- TOUR CANCELED
DESCRIPTION:Drawing from two distinct styles of regional sound\, ancient village choral chants and desert guitar\, Les Filles de Illighadad are sisters from the village of Illighadad\, performing Tende\, traditional music from Niger. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“MESMERIZING SOUNDS FROM THE SAHARA” – The New York Times \n\n\n\n“HEADY\, TRANCE-INDUCING SONGS THAT BURROW INTO YOUR BRAIN AND SPREAD THROUGH YOUR BODY” – Rolling Stone \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n***Please note that for everyone’s safety\, we are following Covid protocols that include requirements that all attendees show proof of vaccination or a recent test for entry\, and wear a mask. We will notify ticket holders if the protocols change. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLes Filles de Illighadad (“daughters of Illighadad”) was founded in Illighadad\, Niger in 2016 by solo guitarist Fatou Seidi Ghali and renowned vocalist Alamnou Akrouni. In 2017\, they were joined by Amaria Hamadalher\, a fixture on the Agadez guitar scene\, and Abdoulaye Madassane\, rhythm guitarist and a son of Illighadad. Les Filles de Illighadad’s music draws from two distinct styles of regional sound\, ancient village choral chants and desert guitar. The result is a groundbreaking new direction for Tuareg folk music and a sound that resonates far outside of their village. In the past years\, the band has toured nonstop\, bringing their highly specific sound to distant corners of the globe. \n\n\n\nLes Filles de Illighadad’s third full-length\, At Pioneer Works\, was recorded over two sold-out shows in Brooklyn\, NY in Fall 2019 at the tail-end of two years of nonstop touring in support of the band’s 2017 album Eghass Malan. Writing about the shows for The New Yorker\, music critic Amanda Petrusich writes: “The crowd in Brooklyn was entranced\, nearly reverent. Les Filles’ music is mesmeric\, almost prayer-like\, which can leave an audience agog… whatever rhythm does to a human body—it was happening.”
URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/les-filles-de-illighadad/
CATEGORIES:African Music,Performance
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Screen-Shot-2022-06-23-at-16.52.28.png
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220401T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220401T210000
DTSTAMP:20230213T184924Z
CREATED:20220216T211217Z
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SUMMARY:Omar Sosa & Seckou Keita | SUBA Trio
DESCRIPTION:Omar Sosa & Seckou Keita | SUBA Trio featuring percussionist Gustavo Ovalles are coming to the Sanctuary for the CD release of SUBA Trio\, presented in cooperation with The Egg Performing Arts Center. \n\n\n\n\nThrough the music we bring a message of peace\, hope and unity. When everything around us falling apart\, the one thing we have inside ourselves is a divine connection with our inner voice. \nOmar Sosa\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Atlantic Ocean separates Cuba and Senegal\, the respective birthplaces of piano virtuoso Omar Sosa and kora maestro Seckou Keita\, a distance diminished by their shared ancestral connection to Africa. When the pair met in 2012\, Seckou loved Omar for his musical spirituality\, whilst Omar saw in Seckou a rare ability to collaborate but not lose his identity. Their debut album Transparent Water (2017) was hailed as ‘beautiful\, rhapsodic… spiritual’ (Songlines) and ‘mesmerising\, evocative and sophisticated’ (World Music Central). \n\n\n\nSosa has released over 30 albums during an incredible career that has included nominations for seven GRAMMY or Latin GRAMMY awards; Keita is a multi-award winner\, most recently as the prestigious BBC Radio 2 Folk Musician of the Year (2019). Recorded during lockdown and released in October 2021\, Sosa and Keita’s second album SUBA is a hymn to hope\, to a new dawn of compassion and real change in a post-pandemic world\, a visceral reiteration of humanity’s perennial prayer for peace and unity. Joining Omar and Seckou in the studio and for live performances is the inimitable Venezuelan percussionist Gustavo Ovalles. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHear our interview with Omar Sosa \n\n\n\n\n\nSix-time GRAMMY-nominated Cuban composer and pianist Omar Sosa is one of the most versatile jazz artists on the scene today. He fuses a wide range of jazz\, world music\, and electronic elements with his native Afro-Cuban roots to create a fresh and original urban sound – all with a Latin jazz heart. Mr. Sosa’s latest recording\, Calma\, reached the Billboard charts in February 2011\, and his previous CD\, Ceremony\, receive an ECHO Jazz Award in Germany in June 2011 His recent CD\, Afreecanos\, explores the African roots of traditional musics throughout the Diaspora\, using modern jazz harmonies and the latest audio technology. The Afreecanos ensemble fuses the folkloric with the contemporary\, the ancestral with the urban. Howard Reich of the Chicago Tribune recently commented that “Cuban pianists often tower over their peers. But within this elite class of pianists\, few have been more stylistically adventurous than Omar Sosa. Though deeply schooled in jazz improvisation techniques\, Sosa always has pushed beyond jazz orthodoxy. https://omarsosa.com  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSeckou Keita has arguably become the most influential and inspiring Kora player of his generation\, an exceptional and charismatic musician and a modern global citizen\, with seven centuries of tradition and heritage expressed through his music. Described as a ‘griot (praise singer)\, composer\, djembe master\, virtuoso and pioneer’\, Seckou Keita is a rare type of musician\, seated in tradition whilst constantly pushing the boundaries of his art.   A true master of the kora – a 22 stringed West African harp – Seckou\, from the Casamance art of the ancient kingdom of Gabou in Southern Senegal\, was a childhood prodigy\, born of a line of griots and kings. Cissokho\, his mother’s family name\, gave life to his talent; Keita\, his father’s\, gave him royal blood.   Seckou has graced the international stage since 1996\, earning worldwide acclaim for his kora playing; appearing with a host of respected artists of artists including Salif Keita\, Paul Weller\, Bassekou Kouyate\, Damon Albarn…  https://www.seckoukeita.com \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nConcert photos at The Sanctuary for Independent Media on April 1\, 2022\, by Sina Basila Hickey. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAlso see Rudy Lu’s photos for Nippertown
URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/omar-sosa-seckou-keita/
LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States
CATEGORIES:African Music,Jazz Music
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/TW-Trio-6-photo-by-Alicia-Carrera.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20080916T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20080916T210000
DTSTAMP:20230626T160646Z
CREATED:20080916T155900Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230626T160646Z
UID:10001013-1221591600-1221598800@www.mediasanctuary.org
SUMMARY:Chiwoniso
DESCRIPTION:One of the most existing talents in African music today\, Chiwoniso performs entrancing and uplifting songs with ancient soul and modern spirit. Backed by the mesmerizing interlocking melodies of the mbira and the deep grooves of an all-star lineup featuring some of Zimbabwe and South Africa’s top musicians\, Chiwoniso’s voice resounds with defiant strength and profound tenderness. Her new recording\, Rebel Woman (2008)\, has just been released by Cumbancha. \n\n\n\nLocal presentation of Chiwoniso is made possible by volunteer labor\, small financial contributions from hundreds of patrons of The Sanctuary For Independent Media and support from the New York State Council on the Arts. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“I am like a mirror\,” declares Zimbabwe’s popular music star Chiwoniso Maraire. “I basically sing about what I see happening in the world. If someone comes up to me in the street to ask for money I’ll sing about that. If people are jumping borders because their economic situation is too difficult\, I’ll sing about that. If the police are beating people up and intimidating them\, I’ll sing about that.” \n\n\n\nIn recent months\, Zimbabwe’s political and economic turmoil has thrust the turbulent African nation into international headlines. Based in the capital city of Harare\, Chiwoniso lives in the eye of the storm\, observing firsthand as her beloved homeland struggles to overcome the enduring legacies of colonialism\, war\, social inequality and political oppression. A devoted advocate of free speech\, human rights and social justice\, Chiwoniso’s music gives voice to the voiceless and speaks to the problems and joys of the world around her. \n\n\n\nOn “Rebel Woman\,” Chiwoniso’s first internationally released album in over ten years\, her soulful and deeply personal songs offer messages of hope\, inspiration and resistance\, and serve notice that this gifted singer and songwriter merits recognition as one of Africa’s greatest young talents. \n\n\n\nWhile Zimbabwe’s ancient musical traditions serve as the foundation of Chiwoniso’s music\, she is the child of a globalized world and her songs reflect her diverse\, multicultural influences. Her late father\, Dumisani Maraire was a respected scholar and musician\, who moved the family to the United States in the 1970s while pursuing a degree in Ethnomusicology at the University of Washington in Seattle. \n\n\n\nChiwoniso was born in Olympia\, Washington in 1976\, and although she spent the first seven years of her life away from Zimbabwe\, the music of her family’s homeland was a constant presence. \n\n\n\n“I was born into a very musical family\, both my parents were musicians\,” Chiwoniso points out. “My father was an amazing mbira player\, my mother was a beautiful singer\, so I was surrounded by this music from the day I was conceived\, really\, because they used to teach classes in the house as well. But at the same time they loved to listen to other people\, so I grew up exposed to James Brown\, Michael Jackson\, Roberta Flack\, Aretha Franklin\, The Rolling Stones\, Bach\, Mozart\, you name it\, it was being played.” In this dynamic home environment Chiwoniso was playing mbira by the age of four. \n\n\n\nHer first studio recording was at the age of nine with her parents\, an album called ‘Tichazomuwona’ (We Shall See You)\, dedicated to her late uncle\, Dr. Nkosana Aurthur Maraire. By the age of 11 Chiwoniso was performing with her father and siblings\, Tawona and Ziyanai\, in their family mbira group “Mhuri yaMaraire’ (The Maraire Family). She was also a musician in her father’s explosive marimba group ‘Minanzi III’ (Musical Sounds 3). \n\n\n\nWhile Chiwoniso’s musical influences range from soul and R&B to reggae and rock\, the entrancing sounds of the mbira serve as a central underpinning for the songs on “Rebel Woman.” Originating in the ancient Shona civilization of southern Africa\, the mbira is a musical instrument made of metal tines attached to a wooden board. The player plucks the tines with their thumbs to create captivating interlocking melodies\, which have accompanied ceremonies and celebrations for countless generations. While variations of the mbira exist across Africa\, it is an essential element of Zimbabwean music tradition and has a deep historical\, cultural and spiritual symbolism. \n\n\n\nIn 1990\, Chiwoniso’s family made their second move back to Zimbabwe\, and she quickly became a popular figure in the local music scene thanks to her role as lead vocalist for A Peace of Ebony\, the country’s first hip-hop band. Along with the group’s founders\, Herbert Schwamborne and Tony Chihota\, and fellow members George Phiri and Tendai Viki\, A Peace of Ebony created a new sound mixing rap and Zimbabwean ethnic-influenced melodies. This was when Chiwoniso and Keith Farquharson first met. In 1997\, she released her first solo album\, Ancient Voices\, which was warmly received and even earned her the prestigious Radio France International “Best New Artist” award. While she was developing her solo career\, Chiwoniso also toured and recorded with the powerful Zimbabwean group Andy Brown and The Storm. \n\n\n\nIn 1996 and 1999 Chiwoniso gave birth to her daughters Chengeto and Chiedza. Her decision to focus on raising her children saw her choose to step out of the active international scene for some years. Instead she did recordings for world-awareness groups including CARE\, UNDP\, The Nobel Peace and worked with other artists who were striking out in new directions musically. The groups included Women’s Voice\, brought together by Malika Makouff-Rasmussen\, and The Collaboration\, a band that drew together some of the leading Zimbabwean artists\, including Adam Chisvo\, Busi Ncube\, Charlie Summerfield\, William Hillman\, Roger Mbambo and Peter Mashasha. \n\n\n\nWith her feet back on the ground and revitalized creative energy\, Chiwoniso has spent the last three years working with producer Keith Farquharson on “Rebel Woman.” Recorded in Zimbabwe\, South Africa\, England and Vermont (where Cumbancha and its partner company Charles Eller Studios are based)\, the album features some of Southern Africa’s most respected musicians and an intriguing collection of guests. Louis Mhlanga\, who has also recorded with Nigeria’s King Sunny Ade\, South African icon Hugh Masekela and others provides the albums tasty guitar licks. Zimbabwean Drummer Sam Mataure\, a veteran of Oliver Mtukudzi’s band\, lays down his trademark rock solid rhythms\, while saxophonist/flautist Steve Dyer guides a crack horn section. Meanwhile\, members of Cumbancha’s extended family\, such as Idan Raichel Project percussionist Rony Irwyn\, Belizean producer/guitarist Ivan Duran and keyboardist Charles Eller lent their services for cameo appearances. \n\n\n\nThe result is an appealing collection of songs that range from the soothing\, unadorned mbira and voices of “Pamuromo” to the rousing\, celebratory dance beats of “Gomo.” The album opens with the raw electric guitar riffs of “Vanorapa”\, a song about the healing power of the elders whose lyrical theme is matched by its deep groove. Chiwoniso believes firmly in the power of traditional Shona spirituality and the ability of the elders to heal people even after they have died and entered the realm of the spirits. “Sometimes a person can die because there may be issues in their life when they were alive that weren’t taken care of and that’s when you have spirits roaming that need to be healed\,” she points out. Chiwoniso wrote the song based on one her late father used to perform with Mananzi III\, adding to its emotional depth. \n\n\n\nOn “Matsotsi” (The Land of Thieves)\, Chiwoniso sings of the economic struggles of the workingman. Many people leave their families to find work\, and they are only able to return home to visit their loved ones every month or so. In today’s tough economic times\, it’s harder for people to even earn enough money to make the trip back home. “How do I go home if I don’t have money?” Chiwoniso implores. The mood shifts on “Gomo”\, an upbeat tribute to the mountain regions where Chiwoniso’s family originated. “We play with hosho (a type of shaker)\, we play with drums\, we play with mbira. We are the children of the mountains\,” she shouts out\, encouraging you to enter the trance-like state of a traditional Zimbabwean ceremony. \n\n\n\nBecause of her American upbringing\, Chiwoniso is equally comfortable writing and singing in English\, which she demonstrates to full effect on the South African flavored “Listen to the Breeze”. The lyrics\, which tell of a wise elder who imparts words of wisdom\, came to her in a dream during a recording session in England. On “Only One World\,” Chiwoniso expresses her devotion to her children and how important it is for parents to make decisions that take future generations into account. “The children have got to be protected. If wemake selfish decisions as adults\, those are our decisions\, but the children are affected by everything we do.” Chiwoniso has long been an advocate for children’s rights\, and has been involved with an organization called MUSTLE Africa that helps teach literacy to the homeless\, orphans and other underprivileged children. \n\n\n\nThe album’s title track\, “Rebel Woman\,” takes inspiration from a poem about the role of women in Zimbabwe’s war for independence. “The song is about the physical conditions of fighting\, and the price people pay\,” she explains\, but it is also a tribute to strong women who suffer because they do not follow the restrictions society tries to place on them. “The truth is that when you’re a strong woman you might lose our husband\, your home\, because the way the systems are structured you’re not allowed to be strong as a women\, unless you follow the rules. This is a song about changing those rules.” \n\n\n\nThe song serves as a moving epilogue to a masterful album and confirms that Chiwoniso will continue to speak out on issues important to her\, regardless of the consequences. Recognizing that artists play a special role in society\, she believes they must not be afraid to speak out against injustice. “We have a responsibility. We are not bankers\, we are not doctors\, we are not nurses. We have another part that we play in society that must be done. So\, regardless of whatever world system is going to come in and say: ‘Cut what you are saying\,’ going to send riot cops in to your shows\, going to come and arrest you and say ‘We are going to try and put you in jail…’–it doesn’t matter. We have a responsibility.” \n\n\n\nCumbancha is a new record label founded by Jacob Edgar\, an Ethnomusicologist and music producer who for the past eight years has been the head of music research and product development at famed independent record label Putumayo World Music. It has been Edgar’s job to travel the world in search of exceptional artists and songs for Putumayo’s critically acclaimed and commercially successful compilations of music from all over the globe. Over the years\, Edgar kept coming across artists he felt deserved wider recognition and assistance in bringing their music to the world stage\, and he decided to form Cumbancha to address that need. \n\n\n\n“I believe exposure to music from different parts of the world can help open a doorway to other cultures\,” insists Edgar. “Listening to music is an excellent way to make a connection with people who are very different from yourself\, and it can create a common ground that overcomes some of the barriers that separate people of different walks of life.” \n\n\n\n“My experience at Putumayo has taught me that world music is much more popular than is generally recognized. People from all generations and backgrounds are looking for music with roots in cultural traditions\, even if that music isn’t as visible as it should be in the mainstream media.” \n\n\n\nEdgar is a global explorer with an insatiable curiosity for the diverse ways in which people express themselves through music. His research trips in search of music for Putumayo’s compilations have taken him to Cuba\, Brazil\, Turkey\, India and dozens of other countries\, not to mention hundreds of the world’s greatest international music festivals\, showcases and performance venues in search of exceptional musical talents. \n\n\n\nEdgar has helped produce compilation CDs that have sold a total of over ten million units worldwide. Always scouring the planet for new sounds\, he possibly listens to more world music CDs than anyone else in the USA and\, possibly\, the world. “My basic role at Putumayo has been to travel the world and dig up as much music as I could\, then review it to uncover those truly great artists and songs that rise above\, and that would appeal to both fans of world music and neophytes who are just interested in hearing something they like. I often tell people\, ‘I suffer so you don’t have to!’ What I mean is I have to listen to a lot of pretty banal stuff to find those musical diamonds\, but as a result I’ve gotten to know some pretty special artists and musical movements.” \n\n\n\nThe main motivation for Cumbancha sprung from Edgar’s desire to work more closely with some of the most extraordinary artists he has gotten to know over the years. “We used to say at Putumayo that doing compilations was like dating\, and signing artists was like getting married\,” says Edgar. “After years of flirting with some of my favorite artists\, it’s nice to finally make some commitments and settle down!” \n\n\n\nShortly after notifying Putumayo last fall of his intentions to leave the label strike out on his own\, Edgar’s former employer offered to become an investor in his new project and service his releases through Putumayo’s network of worldwide distribution. The relationship allows Edgar to continue to assist Putumayo in the development of their popular compilations\, while giving Cumbancha releases a powerful presence in over 60 countries around the world. Edgar also continues to assist Putumayo in the development of their popular compilations. \n\n\n\n“Many of the artists who will appear on Cumbancha have been on a Putumayo compilation over the years\,” notes Edgar\, “so in some ways this new label offers an opportunity for people who have become intrigued by artists on Putumayo’s collections to explore their work further.” At the same time\, Cumbancha will present many artists whose work falls outside of the aesthetic boundaries of a Putumayo compilation\, but whose work is particularly compelling or innovative. \n\n\n\nCumbancha’s first release in the United States\, Canada and Latin America was the album ¡Ay Caramba! by the UK-based band Ska Cubano\, whose appealing fusion of Jamaican ska with Cuban mambo\, salsa and son has earned them wide praise and accolades across Europe. Yet\, even though the group has played at some of Europe’s most prestigious festivals and concert halls\, won numerous “Best of” awards from dozens of magazines\, and even caused a stodgy audience of tuxedo-clad diplomats to bounce in their seats at last year’s Nobel Peace Prize Award ceremony\, Ska Cubano remained largely unknown among the broader public outside of Europe. Since their album was released in the United States they embarked on a hugely successful US and Canada tour\, playing in hi-profile venues such as Central Park SummerStage\, Montreal International Jazz Festival\, San Francisco’s Stern Grove and Grand Performances in Los Angeles among others. Praised by both the media and the public\, Ska Cubano’s album hit number 5 on the Billboard World Music Charts and number 1 on the College Music Journal’s World Music radio chart\, marking an auspicious beginning for the new Cumbancha label. \n\n\n\nThe first worldwide release by Cumbancha is the Israeli cross-cultural collaborative\, The Idan Raichel Project\, whose appealing fusion of Ethiopian folk music with Middle Eastern flavors have made them one of the most unexpected success stories in Israeli music today. While recent headlines are dominated by news of conflict and war in the Middle East\, this Israeli musical collaborative has achieved success by looking beyond intercultural differences and celebrating the value of diversity. With its blend of traditional Ethiopian folk music\, Arabic poetry\, Yemenite chants\, Biblical psalms and Caribbean rhythms\, The Idan Raichel Project has already taken Israel by storm with multiple number one hits and triple platinum sales. \n\n\n\nWhile the ensemble regularly fills large concert halls at home\, the upcoming international release of the recordings of The Idan Raichel Project on the Cumbancha record label promises to introduce the work of this inspirational collective to a wide global audience. “The Idan Raichel Project are already superstars in Israel and Israeli and Ethiopian communities worldwide\,” says Edgar\, “They have performed in some of the most prestigious venues in Europe\, the United States and Latin America\, yet almost exclusively to Israeli audiences. Cumbancha’s goal is to expose them to a wider public who will also enjoy this unique artist.” The Idan Raichel Project will be embarking on an ambitious worldwide touring schedule in an effort to introduce their music to a new public. \n\n\n\nThe headquarters for Cumbancha is an 1830’s farmhouse in the small town of Charlotte\, Vermont. Also home to one of New England’s most prestigious recording studios\, Charles Eller Studios (www.charlesellerstudios.com)\, the complex in Vermont will allow for a unique artist retreat where musicians from around the world can come together to record in a picturesque and tranquil setting free from outside distractions. While many of the records released on Cumbancha will be recorded on location in the countries where the music is from\, others will be recorded in this special setting. Most of the post-production work will be completed in Vermont\, in the shadows of the verdant Green Mountains. “I spend so much time traveling around the world\,” says Edgar\, “it’s nice to work in a place where I can focus and be surrounded by the region’s tremendous natural beauty.” \n\n\n\n“One of the things I enjoy most about the work I do at Putumayo\,” says Edgar\, “was knowing that thousands of people are exposed to music from cultures they might not otherwise get to learn about\, and in a small but not inconsequential way that helps pave the way towards greater appreciation and respect for diversity.” Cumbancha gives Edgar a chance to take that experience one step further. \n\n\n\n“Cumbancha” is a Cuban word of West African derivation that refers to an impromptu party or musical jam session. Many classic Latin songs refer to the “cumbanchero\,” a person who knows how to party and have a good time. For those who are familiar with the word\, “cumbancha” implies an opportunity to get together with family and friends to dance\, sing and celebrate life. “I like the creole nature of the word\,” says Edgar\, “that it is a blend of African and Spanish. Much of the greatest music in the world reflects this interaction between cultures and the ways in which people can gain inspiration for new expressions from people of different backgrounds.” \n\n\n\nLocal presentation of Chiwoniso is made possible by volunteer labor\, small financial contributions from hundreds of patrons of The Sanctuary For Independent Media and support from the New York State Council on the Arts. \n\n\n\nThe Sanctuary for Independent Media is a community media arts center located in an historic former church in Troy\, NY. The venue is an intimate and acoustically excellent space which seats about 150. The Sanctuary hosts screening\, production and performance facilities\, training in media production and a meeting space for artists\, activists and independent media makers of all kinds.
URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/chiwoniso/
LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States
CATEGORIES:African Music,Performance
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20080411T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20080411T223000
DTSTAMP:20220401T163217Z
CREATED:20220401T163216Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220401T163217Z
UID:10001601-1207944000-1207953000@www.mediasanctuary.org
SUMMARY:African Film Festival Presents Mamadou Diabate Ensemble
DESCRIPTION:As part of the African Film Festival\, we present a live performance by Grammy-nominated kora master Mamadou Diabate from the West African country of Mali with his ensemble as part of the 2008 African Film Festival. The Mamadou Diabate Ensemble includes Mamadou Diabate on kora\, Balla Kouyate on balafon\, Baye Kouyate on talking drum and calabash\, and Noah Jarrett on bass. Mamadou Diabate is a master of the kora\, the ancient 21-string West African harp. He was born in 1975 in Kita\, a Malian city long known as a center for the arts and culture of the Manding people of West Africa. As the name Diabate indicates\, Mamadou comes from a family of griots\, or jelis as they are known among the Manding. Jelis are more than just traditional musicians. They use music and sometimes oratory to preserve and sustain people’s consciousness of the past\, a past that stretches back to the 13th century when the Manding king Sunjata Keita consolidated the vast Empire of Mali\, covering much of West Africa.  \n\n\n\nBecause The Sanctuary for Independent Media has been shut down by the City of Troy in an action currently under investigation by the New York Civil Liberties Union\, historic A.M.E. Zion Church at 189 Fifth Avenue (corner of 103rd Street in north Troy) has offered sanctuary to the Sanctuary. \n\n\n\nLocal presentation of the Mamadou Diabate Ensemble is co-sponsored by the AME Zion Church and made possible by volunteer labor\, small financial contributions from hundreds of patrons of The Sanctuary For Independent Media. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMamadou Diabate. Photo by Johndan Johnson-Eilola.\n\n\n\nAbout Mamadou Diabate:\n\n\n\nMamadou Diabate is a master of the kora\, the ancient 21-string West African harp. He was born in 1975 in Kita\, a Malian city long known as a center for the arts and culture of the Manding people of West Africa. As the name Diabate indicates\, Mamadou comes from a family of griots\, or jelis as they are known among the Manding. Jelis are more than just traditional musicians. They use music and sometimes oratory to preserve and sustain people’s consciousness of the past\, a past that stretches back to the 13th century when the Manding king Sunjata Keita consolidated the vast Empire of Mali\, covering much of West Africa. The stories of these glory days and the times since remain important touchstones for people today\, not only for the Manding\, but for many citizens of Mali\, Guinea\, Gambia\, and Senegal. So to be born to a distinguished jeli family in Kita is already an auspicious beginning. \n\n\n\nMamadou’s father Djelimory played the kora\, the jeli’s venerable 21-string harp. He was widely known as N’fa Diabate\, performing in the Instrumental Ensemble of Mali and recording on the National Radio of Mali. At the age of four\, Mamadou went to live with his father in Bamako\, where the Ensemble was based. When it came time for him to return to Kita and go to school\, Mamadou knew that the kora was his destiny. His father had taught him how to play the instrument\, and from there he listened and watched and devoted himself to practicing the kora\, to the point that his mother worried that he was not concentrating enough on school. When she took it away\, it only reduced his interest in studying\, and he quickly resorted to making his own kora so he could continue. \n\n\n\nBefore long\, Mamadou left school and began playing kora for local jeli singers\, and traveling throughout the region to play at the ceremonies where modern jelis ply their trade\, mostly weddings and baptisms. When he was fifteen\, Mamadou won first prize for his kora playing in a regional competition and instantly became something of a local celebrity. The next year\, he went to Bamako\, and under the tutelage of his famous kora playing cousin\, Toumani Diabate\, he worked the jeli circuit\, backing singers at neighborhood weddings and baptisms and entertaining the powerful at the city’s posh Amitié Hotel. Toumani gave his cousin the nickname “Djelika Djan” meaning “Tall Griot\,” a reference to Mamadou’s impressive physical stature. The name has stuck. \n\n\n\nIn 1996\, a touring group from the Instrumental Ensemble of Mali offered Mamadou the chance to travel to the United States with a group of Manding musicians and cultural authorities. Following a successful tour\, Mamadou decided to continue his work in the United States and\, since then\, he’s made his home in and around New York. Mamadou gets frequent invitations to perform with visiting Malian stars including Ami Koita\, Tata Bambo Kouyate\, Kandia Kouyate\, and Babani Koné. He has performed at the United Nations\, Lincoln Center\, the Metropolitan Museum\, and at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington. In addition\, he’s delved into uncharted waters\, jamming with all manner of expert musicians\, including jazz luminaries Donald Byrd and Randy Weston\, Zimbabwean legend Thomas Mapfumo\, and blues masters Eric Bibb and Guy Davis. Mamadou’s recording credits have expanded as he has laid tracks with artists ranging from Irish soloist Susan McKeown\, jazz bassist Ben Allison\, and Benin’s celebrated Angélique Kidjo. \n\n\n\nMamadou says that his father advised him to listen to all the best kora players and to learn from each one. The kora itself came to Mali from Gabu\, the region centered between Gambia\, Senegal\, and Guinea Bissau\, and the Malian kora tradition has always put a premium on holding onto the old ways while constantly innovating and developing the art. \n\n\n\nHe recorded his debut\, “Tunga” (Alula Records\, 2000)\, where he was joined by an impressive cast of handpicked musicians and friends who helped him show both reverence for the traditional sounds of his craft and to display an adventurous spirit in keeping with the practice of always furthering the griot’s art. \n\n\n\nMamadou Diabate’s solo kora recording ‘Behmanka’ (World Village\, 2005) was nominated in the 2005 48th Annual GRAMMY Awards 2005 World Music category. \n\n\n\nMamadou Diabate’s kora recording “Heritage” (World Village\, 2006) showcases his ensemble work with trio. Heritage features Mamadou’s touring band\, Guinean guitarist Djikoryam Mory Kante\, balafonist Bala Kouyaté\, Baye Kouyaté on calabash and talking drum\, and on bass\, American jazz musician Noah Jarrett. \n\n\n\nAbout the AME Zion Church of Troy\, NY:\n\n\n\nThe location of this event in north Troy has special significance. \n\n\n\nDevoted to religious\, educational and social causes\, the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and its members have been instrumental in many of the freedom struggles of this nation\, dating back to the days when former slaves Frederick Douglass\, Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman led the first wave of Black social activism. Since that time\, A.M.E. Zion members have made other significant contributions. AME Zion Bishop Alexander Walters\, along with Dr. W.E.B. DuBois\, helped to found the NAACP. Bishop Walters was also a pioneering member of the Pan-African Congress\, and many of the denomination’s clergy and lay people were active participants in the Civil Rights Movement of the ’60s. \n\n\n\nA.M.E. Zion Church made the salvation of the whole person–mind\, body and spirit–its top priority. At the crux of its ministry lay racial justice\, peace and harmony\, thus earning it the title\, the Freedom Church. \n\n\n\nAs the ministry expanded\, so did the denomination’s emphasis on education. “In order to succeed in American society as productive citizens\, we [the newly freed slaves] need to become an educated citizenry\,” an early AME Zion member once said. In keeping with that goal\, the Church maintains four colleges and universities today\, which are Livingstone College in Salisbury\, N.C.\, Clinton Junior College in Rock Hill\, S.C.\, and Lomax-Hannon Junior College in Greenville\, Alabama\, and A.M.E. Zion University in Monrovia\, Liberia. Additionally it maintains two theological seminaries\, Hood Theological Seminary in Salisbury\, NC and Hood Speaks Theological Seminary in Akwa Ibom State\, Nigeria. \n\n\n\nAlong with its emphasis on ministry and social change here in the United States\, the denomination has focused much of its attention and energies on outreach abroad. To date\, the A.M.E. Zion Church has member churches on all continents except Australia. In West Africa\, in particular\, the denomination has set up numerous schools and clinics throughout Ghana and Nigeria. The Church also has facilities in Liberia\, though some of its main structures have been destroyed by civil war. Overseas missions are a crucial component of the A.M.E. Zion Church’s outreach\, but the denomination believes in charity starting at home. That is why\, over the years\, several individual churches have implemented programs to help families to find low-income housing\, jobs\, financial planning assistance\, health care and day care services. “Our concern is for the whole person\,” says Bishop Cecil Bishop\, the (retired former) senior bishop of the A.M.E. Zion Church. “We have a holistic approach and a holistic gospel. We don’t feel that we live in a kind of compartmentalized sense\, but that life is a complete whole. So we have to be concerned about all of those amenities of life that help make up wholeness in an individual.” \n\n\n\nAbout The Sanctuary for Independent Media:\n\n\n\nThe Sanctuary for Independent Media is a telecommunications production facility dedicated to community media arts\, located in an historic former church in north Troy\, NY. The Sanctuary hosts screening\, production and performance facilities\, training in media production and a meeting space for artists\, activists and independent media makers of all kinds. On March 11\, 2008 the City of Troy closed The Sanctuary for Independent Media for alleged code violations just hours after the opening of a controversial series focusing on government intimidation and censorship under the guise of counter-terrorism. While the matter is being investigated by the NY Civil Liberties Union\, public events are being presented at Sanctuaries-in-exile throughout the Capital Region.
URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/african-film-festival-presents-mamadou-diabate-ensemble/
LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States
CATEGORIES:African Music,Performance
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20080209T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20080209T213000
DTSTAMP:20230310T162636Z
CREATED:20080209T150100Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230310T162636Z
UID:10000885-1202583600-1202592600@www.mediasanctuary.org
SUMMARY:Free Jazz from the Sanctuary prsents Kahil El’Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble
DESCRIPTION:Kahil El’Zabar formed the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble in 1973 to combine concepts of African American music making with traditional African music and make something new. After 35 years\, this legendary band is still serving people worldwide with their special brand of 21st century Griot music. El’Zabar’s last performance at the Sanctuary was named one of 2007’s ten best by Metroland. Don’t miss this one! Corey Wilkes\, trumpet; Ernest Khabeer Dawkins\, saxophone; Kahil El’Zabar\, composer\, percussion\, vocals.  \n\n\n\nCo-sponsored by the Department of the Arts at RPI\, and made possible in part by the NYS Music Fund. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAbout Ethnic Heritage Ensemble:\n\n\n\nThe Ethnic Heritage Ensemble was formed 35 years ago. Kahil El’Zabar is the founder of the band and led its first performance at Child City Arts Center\, in Chicago\, in 1973. This was a year after he had returned from the University of Ghana. His goal was to combine concepts of African American music making with the earlier roots of traditional African music and make it something new. After 35 years\, this legendary band is still serving the people worldwide with their special brand of 21st century Griot music. The current band consists of the young trumpet titan\, Corey Wilkes\, along with Chicago saxophone legend\, Ernest Khabeer Dawkins and the award winning multi percussionist\, vocalist\, and composer\, Kahil El’Zabar. \n\n\n\nThe Ethnic Heritage Ensemble\, is now in the pantheon of jazz history. Few bands have lasted more than three decades and there are no signs of this illustrious ensemble slowing down. Their music conjures a spiritual journey to the inner self. It spans time through multiple expressions that transcend styles and genres. There is an extremely personal virtuosity to the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble’s way of making music. It appears simple on the surface\, yet when one goes deeper in the music they are amazed at the density of form. \n\n\n\nWe are reaching out to our community worldwide in 2008\, to collectively celebrate the triumph of the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble\, in staying true to their mission. It is rare to witness such conviction and commitment in these times. This music has enormous history and incredible love. We are all here to make a difference; we must be about the work of our hearts. Living out your dream is the greatest honor one can express. The Ethnic Heritage Ensemble is the real deal and they have truly done it their way! Let us celebrate the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble’s 35th Anniversary now and forever. Aluta Continua!!
URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/kahil-elzabars-ethnic-heritage-ensemble/
LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States
CATEGORIES:African Music,Community Event,Jazz Music,Performance
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END:VCALENDAR