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Interfaith Works presents: The
2007 a
celebration of the sacred was
held on Sunday Feb. 4 |
Artists of the 2007 World Sacred Music Festival
Shabâvâ is a Persian music ensemble that brings four accomplished musicians to the Festival. Maestro Tarik Banzi (ney, percussion) was born to one of the old Andalusian families of Tetouan, Morocco who trace their roots back to Al-Andalus. He grew up immersed in the Andalusian tradition. Tarik later lived in Madrid, Spain throughout the 80's & moved in flamenco, jazz, and Middle Eastern music circles. Tarik formed the group Al-Fatihah with Judeo-Spanish musicologist Dr. Javier Sanchez, while also collaborating and recording with flamenco masters such as Paco de Lucia, Manolo Sanlucar, Enrique Morente, Jorge Pardo, and Carlos Benavent. Tarik introduced such mainstays into the flamenco sound as the darbuka (clay or metal drum) and udu (clay pot drum). In the late 80's Tarik co-founded the group Amal together with Maria Ahmed and Rasgui Boujemaa. Tarik is the artistic director, co-founder, and composer of Al-Andalus. Maestro Hossein Salehi (santoor [hammered dulcimer]) was born in Tehran, Iran in 1949, and was exposed to traditional Iranian music by his father, Maestro Abbas Salehi, a master violinist. At age seven, Hossein became enamored of the shimmering sound of the santoor and began teaching himself to play, learning the fundamentals from his father. Later, he studied with some of Iran's most renowned musicians. In addition to santoor, Maestro Salehi teaches daf (frame drum), tombak (goblet drum) and improvisation techniques (bedâhé navâzi), as well as overseeing a variety of musical projects. Through out his musical career, Maestro Salehi has been the recipient of many awards. In 1998, the Oregon Historical Society recognized Maestro Salehi as a master artist on the santoor and Persian music. Nearly fifty years after striking his first notes, Maestro Salehi's main goal is to pass on the music he has worked so hard to preserve, and to share his knowledge with those who show a genuine interest in his art. Bobak Salehi (violin, kamâncheh, tar, setâr) is a talented multi-instrumentalist and composer born in Tehran, Iran. He ventured into the world of music when he was eight years old, under the direction of his father maestro Hossein Salehi, and later studied violin with other Iranian masters. He expanded his training into Western classical music. In 1999 the Oregon Historical Society recognized him as master artist on setar (Persian long-necked lute). In the same year, he founded the Damâm Ensemble, focusing on the classical and folk music of Iran. He has performed regularly in the Portland Iranian Festival, the World Beat Festival and Northwest Folklife Music Festival. In fall of 2007, Bobak will lead the musicians of the Translation Project in six unique shows in San Francisco. Nat Hulskamp (flamenco guitar, oud) is a native of Portland, Oregon, whose interest in flamenco led him to study with Tarik and Julia Banzi of Al Andalus. He continued to pursue his interest in the Arabic roots of flamenco with study in Morocco. After returning to the US, he moved to Seattle to study ethnomusicology at the University of Washington. There he worked with the groups Carmona Flamenco, The Rez Trio and others ranging in style from Hungarian Csardas and Gypsy swing to flamenco. He also has studied gamelan music and lived in Bali, Indonesia. He now performs regularly with râz , Puro Arte Flamenco Dance Company, Pendar i Paya and Shabâvâ. More info at www.shabava.com mp3 song samples:
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The
Gansango Mandinka Trio |
The Gansango Mandinka Trio performs music from West Africa, specifically traditional rhythms from the Mandinka people. The trio's musicians are Etienne Cakpo, drums; Naby Camara, balafon; and Kane Mathis, kora. Etienne Cakpo, a professional dancer and choreographer from Benin, is the director and lead choreographer and dancer of Gansango Music and Dance. In addition to conducting personal research to learn regional dances and musical traditions in his country, he has worked in remote areas of Benin with international ethnomusicologists, musicians and filmmakers. Etienne has performed with artists from many countries, including Haiti, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Senegal, France, Mali and the United States. More info at www.gansango.com Originally from Guinea, Naby Camara is a griot, or traditional oral historian-musician, as are (were) his father, brother, grandfather, and great grandfather. Naby began playing music at the age of three, and is a master of balafon (West African wooden xylophone) and the djembe and doundoun drums. More info at www.nabycamara.com Kane Mathis plays the kora, 21-stringed Mandinka harp, that is one of Africa's most complex chordophones and carries bass and melody simultaneously. Kane has performed at the 2005 and 2006 World Sacred Music Festivals to wide acclaim. More info at www.kairarecords.com mp3 song samples:
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The Unsanctified Gospel Revival is a collection of phenomenal Seattle musicians from varied backgrounds, who have joined to bring rockin’ gospel music to sacred and secular audiences alike. It is: Unsanctified: Because we are not connected to any particular religious denomination. All that is required from the audience is the willingness to be transformed spiritually and emotionally… Or to just have a good time. Gospel: Because we play music from the African-American gospel tradition, from traditional gospel standards ("Amazing Grace", "Just a Closer Walk with Thee"), to music from the sacred steel tradition, to gospel-influenced R&B and jazz, to original music inspired by our own combination of spirituality and groove. Revival : Because we raise the roof every night. The Unsanctified Gospel Revival was founded by Dan Tyack, who plays pedal steel, lap steel, and dobro. Dan played a myriad of slide instruments for 10 years in Nashville and LA, playing with such artists as Asleep at the Wheel, Vince Gill, Hoyt Axton, and Charlie Louvin. Dan resumed a full-time music career in 1999, playing and recording with artists such as the Campbell Brothers, Bill Frisell, Danny Barnes, Amy Denio, Skerik, Holly Figueroa, and Siamese. The lineup for the World Sacred Music Festival will be: Dan
Tyack: pedal
steel, lap steel, dobro (Seattle
Weekly article on Dan) More info at www.tyack.com/Unsanctified.htm Hear music samples here |
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