If you missed out on Eddie Palmieri yesterday--from his student masterclass, to the Memorial Hall concert, to a jam session on Franklin Street--you can still look forward to a great evening of Latin jazz tonight at UNC: a joint concert of Charanga Carolina and the UNC Jazz Band, with guests Joe Chambers (drums) and Conrad Herwig (trombone). Rumor has it there will be some special guests on vibes as well.
Palmieri was so stoked upon hearing the Charanga Carolina yesterday, that he placed cell phone calls during the rehearsal to share the live sound with two very important people: his wife ("she's a charanguera!" says Eddie), and trumpeter/music historian Rene Lopez.
"This is a rocking band! You better give them a good write-up," Palmieri told me afterwards.
He gave some playing tips to the group's pianists, current and former, who huddled around the keyboard on the Hill Hall stage, where yesterday's masterclass took place.
Palmieri's trombonist, Conrad Herwig has been in residency all week, playing lip-busting concerts with UNC faculty, the NC Jazz Rep Orchestra, as well as his boss. He told me Wednesday that he is looking forward to playing with the Charanga tonight.
Tonight's concert will be in UNC Memorial Hall at a cost of $15 general admission. An after hours jam session is planned at 10:30 pm at West End Wine Bar (cover: $4)
This intense burst of concerts continues next weekend, as part of UNC's 34th Carolina Jazz Festival. Trumpeter Marcus Printup of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra returns to campus for a residency Thursday (2/24)-Saturday (2/26).
I never did a full review of Charanga Carolina's show at Talulla's a few weeks ago, but it was a barnburner. Although the intimate setting puts dance space at a premium, the warm acoustics and family-run atmosphere at Talulla's are a perfect home for Charanga.
Here's a video from last time to get you in the mood for tonight:
El Kilombo, organizers of the Cimarron Latin Night @ Club 9, report that due to cost constraints, the benefit/dance party will be SUSPENDED for the time being. They plan to notify us if they are able to relocate this event in the future.
Mosaic Wine Lounge has reoriented their once-monthly Latin Night to feature Guillo Carias leading a Latin jazz combo in suave salsa and merengue.
Could the advent of no-cover, live music Latin venues finally give a run for their money to high-cover, dj'ed dance parties? Here's hoping. Thanks anyway to Mosaic for creating warm, cosmopolitan spaces in the Glenwood South party zone.
Artist Residencies:
This week features two distinguished artist residencies in Durham: Saxophonist Steve Wilson arrives at NC Central today to rehearse with the NCCU Jazz Big Band. They perform Friday, 8 pm in Central's B.N. Duke Auditorium; admission is $15.
Folkloric percussion expert Michael Spiro is also in town conducting private workshops and rehearsing with Duke's Afro-Cuban Percussion Ensemble. This will be a tough choice, as Spiro's performance with them is also Friday at 8 pm, in Duke University's Baldwin Auditorium. The Duke Djembe and Afro-Cuban Ensembles concert is free and open to the public.
Here's a brief update on Los Pleneros de la 21's two-day residency at UNC-Chapel Hill this week. The premier bombiplena group from New York, performing Puerto Rican folkloric music and dance, will be arriving Thursday (10/15).
The free concert in UNC Memorial Hall on Friday (10/16) at 7 pm is already "SOLD OUT." This means all the advance tickets have been distributed. I don't know if any tickets have been held in reserve. In other words, I DON'T have any insider info, but if you feel you need to be there, and you don't mind taking a chance on not getting in, I'd advise going early to see if any more tickets or open seats become available at the door. TICKET UPDATE: Havana Grill in Cary has been distributing some of the tickets for Friday night's Memorial Hall concert; I just called over there (3 pm Wed) and apparently they still have about 40 tickets left. Another distribution point is Caribbean Cafe in Raleigh; as of 5 pm Wed they have 3 tickets left, call ahead: 919-872-4858.
Non-ticket-holders should also consider attending the free Community Bomba y Plena Workshop which LP 21 will hold Thursday (10/15) at 7 pm in the Sonya Hanes Stone Center for Black Culture on UNC campus.
It will be a smaller group (not all of the musicians will have arrived yet), but the event will be informal and participatory, so you will get to interact with the musicians and dancers up close. It is open to anyone, adults or children, no experience is required. On Wednesday noon I was told there were about 50 spaces left in the workshop. Reservations are recommended; to do so, call or email Ursula Littlejohn, ulittlej@email.unc.edu or 962-9001.
As Onda Carolina celebrates its first anniversary, this month is turning out to be one of the busiest on record for Latin music in the Triangle. I have a lot of catching up to do, so here's a digest of recent news and upcoming events.
First order of business: It's the third Thursday (8/20) of the month, and Tambor Vivo is headlining again at Mosaic's free, no-cover Cuban night. Mosaic's adventurous programming creates a win/win proposition for our music and dance community. Just show up, no classes, no covers, no pretense. Just the call of live drums. This party scene is burgeoning and a little different every time. Truly cultural, yet open-ended, you can dance how you want to, from straight-up rumba to whatever shakes your bootay.
Thursday appetizer: Did you know that a free bomba dance class is held every Thursday at Havana Grill in Cary? Time: 6:30 pm - 8ish, depending on attendance. Instructor Miriam Rivas is a Puerto Rican native and a researcher at Duke. Ladies, wear a wide skirt if you have one, and sneakers or shoes appropriate for dancing on concrete. Havana Grill serves Cuban food with nightly specials.
Next on the agenda: This Saturday (8/22) is Durham's Latino Festival, 3:00 - 8:00 pm at Rock Quarry Park. This free festival will highlight local Mexican regional music by Leno y sus Compas, and two of our best salsa bands: The Latin Project and Carnavalito. For the full schedule, see poster below or visit the Durham Latino Festival website.
August has been a packed month for festivals, from Ritmo Latino, to La Ley's 6th anniversary last weekend, which I unfortunately had to miss because I was out of town. It looked to be a humdinger, with return appearances by Domenic M (the bachata singer and his supertight band played the festival 3 years ago) and Grupo Control (spandex cowboys whose sexy show kicked off this blog a year ago).
Further jamming the festival calendar, this August will wrap up with La Fiesta del Pueblo on August 29-30 (which traditionally has taken place in early September). Currently they are looking for volunteers; if you would like to volunteer, fill out this online form. Their stage schedule isn't out yet, but check back soon for more details. (Let me get through one festival at a time...)
Finally I want to congratulate all the members of the NCCU Jazz Ensemble and director Ira Wiggins on a triumphant set of performances at the Newport Jazz Festival. From what I understand, this was a project several years in the making, and NCCU artist-in-residence Branford Marsalis was instrumental in creating the showcase. The ensemble is really getting out and about these days; they will play the Detroit Jazz Festival this Labor Day weekend.
We are tremendously lucky to have high order jazz education in our midst. It's nothing to take for granted, and has had a tremendous impact on our salsa scene, when you look at the number of musicians to come out of Central who also play "our Latin thing." Kudos to NCCU Jazz, it's on my list of great things about living in Durham.
STAY IN TOUCH Got news or calendar items for Onda Carolina? I would love to hear from YOU. You can leave a comment, or email me by clicking on "Sylvia P." in the contributors box (sidebar, right) to reach my Blogger profile. GRACIAS!
This is a classroom performance at Duke by Ferhat Tunç, bağlama, recorded and posted with his permission. Nuray Ahmed plays guitar. An English translation of the lyrics is included below.
I've learned a lot about Turkey, its politics and culture, in the last few days, hanging out with Ferhat Tunç and his entourage.
The last event on his local residency is TODAY, Wednesday (3/25) from 7-9 pm at NCSU's Stewart Theater in Raleigh. (After this, they are headed to California, then Rome, then back to Istanbul.) I hear that Ferhat and Nuray will play music at the beginning, and again at the end of this event. There will be a panel discussion in between with Louise Meintjes and Catherine Admay, the two professors responsible for bringing them to Duke.
Tuesday afternoon I visited their class, "Human Rights and The Arts." The students had a lot of great questions for Ferhat about music and politics (and might I add, that classrooms are a different place now than when I was last a student? Everyone--without exception had laptops open, typing their notes and toggling between Google maps of Turkey, Wikipedia entries and the Freemuse.org site that has lots of source material about Ferhat in English.)
After that, he met some Turkish students for coffee in Van der Heyden, the café in Duke's library; they debated the Kurdish question and possible roads toward multiculturalism in Turkey.
Ferhat Tunç Unplugged from Santa Salsera on Vimeo. Ferhat Tunç playing the bağlama and singing a song about Pir Sultan Abdal, a 16th-century musician who was killed by the Ottoman Empire because he would not renounce freedom. Translation at the end provided by Ömür Kayikçi.
WHAT: Ferhat Tunç, Kurdish singer from Turkey WHEN: TODAY, Saturday (3/21), 4 p.m. - ? WHERE: Talullah's, W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill COST: (unknown, if any)
I saw Ferhat Tunç last night at the Duke Performances show. (Ferhat is on a short artist residency at Duke.) He played the saz or bağlama, a narrow-necked, fretted instrument which has 3 pairs of double-coursed strings. An extra bass string on this particular saz, for added depth, made for a total of seven tuning pegs. He sings with a particular, rather rapid, full-throated vibrato; at times it helped to just close my eyes and listen. I don't know what kind of scales or modes this music employs, but in my "Western" terms it sounded like minor keys exclusively--nothing I would characterize as a major mode--and occasionally micotonal, but not as much as the Arab music we heard recently. I picked up some unusual meters (9/8, maybe? what was that?) and one of Tunç's original tunes I thought could be happily repurposed into prog rock. A few of us thought he looked like Billy Bragg up there on stage, in jeans and a flannel shirt.
Tunç (pronounced "Too-nch") had just one musician with him (which is a shame, listening to the videos, would have liked to hear a whole band to get a better feel for this music): Bulgarian/Turkish classical guitarist Nuray Ahmed. Nuray was the one who explained the saz' workings to me, with the help of a very kind UNC student who translated for us. The owner of Tallulah's was at the concert last night, and they set up this impromptu concert for this afternoon at 4. Not sure if they will charge admission or not, but this is a nice chance to hear him if you missed the Duke show. He performed a lot of Turkish, Kurdish and Armenian songs, and through translator Firat Oruc, provided some context for the political and cultural contest.
See also, panel discussion on Monday (3/23):
Roger Lucey performs Monday night at 7:30 pm in the Nelson Music Room, Duke East Campus in the East Duke Building. He is a South African musician whose career was suppressed by security police in the '70s and '80s. This concert is a fundraiser for Freemuse.org, a Danish organization promoting free speech and human rights for musicians.
The last few days hanging out at Duke, I've been trying to learn Simon Shaheen's musicians by name, the instruments they play, and grasp just the tip of the iceberg of Arabic music. 16 musicians arrived Monday at Duke--from L.A., Boston, New York, Lebanon, Tunisia--and have been rehearsing like mad on a program of classical Arabic music from the "Golden Age." Apparently this refers to a golden age for cinema and movie music, in the Egyptian film industry of the 1930s-1960s. The concert tonight (Page Auditorium, 8 pm, Duke Performances) will also feature video projections of rare movie clips to go along with the music.
Jamal Senno plays the zither-like qanoun.
The four vocalists, 2 male and 2 female, all came from overseas. I've only heard Sonia M'Barek (gorgeous voice) and Ibrahim Azzam in rehearsal, and can't wait to hear Rima Khcheich and Khalil Abonula, who I'm told are also great. No doubt. This is an ensemble of first class cats, many of whom turned down other gigs to do the 20-day U.S. tour with Shaheen. Duke Performances shared this personnel list:
Orchestra (12 members) Kamil Shajrawi - violin William Shaheen - violin Abeeb Refela - violin Georges Lammam - violin Simon Shaheen - violin / oud Najib Shaheen - oud Bassam Saba - nay/flute Jamal Sinno (alt spelling: Senno)- qanun Tomas Ulrich - cello Walid Zairi - bass Michel Merhej Baklouk - percussion Dafer Tawil (alt spelling: Zafer) - percussion
Vocalist (4 featured) Ibrahim Azzam - vocal Sonia M'Barek - vocal Khalil Abonula - vocal Rima Khcheich - vocal
Welcome to the world of transliterated Arabic: I've found alt spellings for artist's names (what they tell me and what is on their Facebook page sometimes varies from the artist management's travel manifest), and for the names of instruments, and so I'm going to just print what people have told me and allow that there is some variation. Tomas Ulrich, cello, Zafer Tawil and Michel Merhej Baklouk, percussion
As you can see from that list, many, if not most of these musicians are multi-instrumentalists. So for instance, Zafer Tawil is one of the two percussionists, but is also adept at oud, violin, etc. I'm not sure if I photographed Bassam Saba with a violin in rehearsal at one point, in addition to Western flute and Arabic reed flute(or nay/nye), but I wouldn't be surprised. (Sabais a member of Silk Road Project, and Shaheen's Quantara and Near Eastern Music Ensemble.) All three Shaheen brothers, Simon, Najib and William, play both oud and violin. (Najib is a master luthier, while William sidelines as an optometrist.) I've played a violin in my life and know that this is obviously not the same technique at all. [Although a local musician I talked to at the gig pointed out, both are fretless and have a neck and fingerboard of similar size.] I find it intriguing that this is a common prerequisite for these Arabic musicians, who must have a well-rounded approach to the music that would come from mastering very different techniques to achieve the same ends. While it's not completely rare in Latin, jazz or classical circles, it's certainly more typical for instrumentalists to specialize in one instrument, or in instruments with a similar technique (i.e. trumpet/flugelhorn/valve trombone, saxophones/flutes, etc.)
"You are going to hear the best voices in the Arab World," Simon Shaheen said, and he wasn't kidding. The first half of the program featured the exquisite Khalil Abonula and Rima Khcheich, performing individually and then as a duet. Part two followed a similar format, with Sonia M'Barek followed by Ibrahim Azzam, closing with a duet.
Before they played, a short segment of film clips introduced us to stars of the Egyptian film industry who first sang these tunes on screen and, via the magic of mass culture, popularized them throughout the Arab world. A montage of the images and voices of Egytian stars Um Kulthum and Mohammad Abdel Wahhab, the Lebanese diva Fairuz and Syrian movie star and composer Farid Al Atrash, among others, flashed onscreen above the musicians, and were referenced briefly throughout the evening as new singers took on their roles. [It occurred to me during the program that one could do something similar with the Mexican film industry.]
Farid Al Atrash with bellydancer Samia Gamal in 1950
The musicians wore black tie without the tie, but Simon proved very down-to-earth as he spoke with the audience to introduce the program. (That's the vibe I got from them throughout their visit; friendly and unpretentious, with a low-key sense of humor). It's not for nothing Shaheen is considered an ambassador for Arabic music; not only is he a multi-ensemble leader and performer, but since 1996 he has organized an annual workshop retreat in Arabic music at Mt. Holyoke College.
Program Notes:
Part 1
They opened with an instrumental arrangement of "Fakkaruni" (Remind Me) by Mohammed Abdel Wahhab. It seems not uncommon for an Arabic music audience, like a jazz audience, to applaud mid-way through a piece to acknowledge solos. Musicians will also express a word or gesture of appreciation for solos that are tasty or cooking; we witnessed both of these during this opening number.
Next, Khalid Abonula from Palestine sang a truly exquisite song called "Jannat" (Gardens), by Lebanese composer and singer Wadi' Al Safi to lyrics by Abdel Jalil Wihbeh. This was a slow piece with wrenchingly elaborate ornaments, and like all the singers, he was mighty and effortless. I can't interpret the words, yet I could really sense the storytelling energy behind his delivery. [Off the record: I ran into these guys at the grocery store a few nights earlier, and Khalid was stocking up on Kit Kats--could that be part of his regimen for maintaining his silky smooth voice, I wondered?]
Abonula followed that with an equal tour de force by the same songwriters, "Wayli Laou Yidrun," about a guy in love with a woman not approved of by his parents. Both of these opened with qanoun solos by Jamal Sinno, over a low drone in the violins. I don't know enough about the structure of this music to speak knowledgably about it, but I was trying to take notice. Mr. Abonula projected warmth and polish with a deep blue tie peeking out of a high-buttoned, long-cut jacket.
Lebanese singer Rima Khcheich ('Ka-shaysh') was introduced for the next two numbers. The petite Ms. Khcheich wore a simple all black emsemble of trousers, strapless top, and an airy, full-length wrap bordered in white or silver embroidery. She gestured emphatically, raising her upper arms near her head while singing, beginning with the long, intense 'Qasida' poem "Sakana I-Layl" (Calm Night), an Abdel Wahhab tune setting lyrics by Gibran Khalil Gibran.
Rima literally stole the show with an a capella interlude between that and her next number, "Il Wardi Gamil" (Lovely Flowers), an Um Kulthum hit in the 1947 film "Fatima." In the interlude, introduced by Simon's violin solo, Rima's high, ampflied solo voice, literally trembling at times, entranced everyone I talked to in the hall. It's worth noting that none of the singers read their parts from sheet music, and the intricate melodies and lyrics they have committed to memory is no doubt extensive.
Part one wrapped by bringing Khalil back out to sing with Rima an excerpt from a 1960s Lebanese musical about rural life, Sahrit Hubb (An Evening of Love), a TV sketch that originally starred Fairuz and Wadi' Al Safi.
Part 2
Again they opened with a sort of jam session [an Arab descarga, I thought], "Kahramana" by Farid Al Atrash [who looks a little like Tito Rodriquez in the film clips, in one of them wearing a tuxedo.] Solos in order, if I'm not mistaken, by: Jamal Sinno (qanoun = zither), Bassam Saba (nay = flute), Najib Shaheen (oud = lute), Kamil Shajrawi (violin). This tune is an instrumental dance number from a 1949 Egyptian film, "Afrita Hanim" (Jinni) starring Al Atrash and Samia Gamal.
Also of interest to me, as an aside, was how often the string players tuned up between numbers. With microtones in their scales and modes, I'm sure that pitch is an especially keen matter. I am not sure how the violins, cello and bass are tuned, i.e. if they vary from Western tuning, but it didn't sound like it as they were bowing their open fifths. However, that's just my guess. Also, I wondered how they play microtonal scales on the reed flute (nay/ney); I thought to look more closely and saw that Bassam had at least 6 nays on a table by his side. Are these keyed to different maqams, or what? Clearly I need to do more research.
The stately, emotive Sonia M'Barek came out next, looking like a queen in a pillar of aqua silk, to sing a really divine Arabic ode to Vienna. "Layalil 'Unsi Fi Vienna" (Merry Nights in Vienna) is in vals time, which Simon says is no stranger in Arab music. The tune comes from the 1944 film Gharam Wa Intiqam (Love and Revenge) starring Farid Al Atrash's sister, Asmahan.
Asmahan in one of the films that inspired ASWAT
Sonia then sang "Ana Fi Intidharak Malleit" (I Am Fed Up Waiting For You) which was another glorious highpoint of the evening. She emotes from deep within her body when she sings. Not to shortshrift the concert performance--you definitely got the feeling she gave her utmost to a live audience--but it's possible this tune was even more delicate and moving in the rehearsal, when the band and singers were without amplification. In any case, it moved listeners at the open rehearsal to spontaneous applause. M'Barek is Tunisian and has specialized in Tunisian and Andalucian music since she was a child.
"Ya Wardi Min Wishtirik" (The Flower Buyer) brought Palestinian singer Ibrahim Azzam to the stage next, in a bright yellow tie, and with a second oud in hand. They set him up troubadour style, standing at a pair of mics with one leg on a chair to support the oud. The song is an Abdel Wahhab tune, setting lyrics by Lebanese poet Bishara Al Khoury. It tells the story of a moody monologue by a young man, thinking about buying a flower for his beloved.
Next was "Ya 'Awathil Falfillu," another Farid tune from the 1950 film "Akhir Kithba" (Last Lie) that got the audience clapping. A brief oud solo from Najib was welcome, and the duelling ouds with Najib and Ibrahim was a real crowdpleaser.
The evening ended with a happy ending: "Ya Di n-Na'im" (Living in Happiness), from the 1938 film Yahyal Hubb (Love Wins) starring Layla Murad and Mohammed Abdel Wahhab. Sonia and Ibrahim sang this dialogue about reunited lovers.
A few sound problems got worked out in the first half, so the premiere should set them up well for their big coming out party in D.C. There was talk among the musicians of the program running long, so it could be that some numbers will get tightened up or cut during the tour. I don't know if the Arabic music scene is just super laidback about autographs or what, but the supporting musicians seemed very phlegmatic about signing CDs. They all referred me to Simon to do the honors. He did, with the graciousness he showed to everyone throughout his residency here. (And I even got Najib to throw his John Hancock on it in Arabic.) Thanks to ASWAT Orchestra for access to their practice sessions and a fantastic, extended play concert of rare music.
If you're in a touring city where tickets are still available, I definitely recommended you catch this, it's an epic work on the visionary scale of Wynton Marsalis' Congo Square with Yacub Addy, bringing together musicians it will be hard to catch together anywhere else. As someone new to traditional Arabic music, I found it accessible and entrancing; there can't be a better way to hear this music for the first time than live, by some of the best practitioners in the world. Fans of Arab music won't have to be told twice; ASWATis a cultural experience not to be missed. Links: Simon Shaheen on WUNC's The State of Things A story I wrote for Duke Today about Shaheen's reception on campus Syrian Clarinettist Kinan Azmeh on Weekend Edition NPR's Sampling of the Arabesque Festival in D.C.
Oud and violin virtuoso Simon Shaheen, a seminal composer and performer of Arab music and world fusion, begins a brief artist residency at Duke this week. The public is invited to welcome Shaheen and members of his ASWAT Orchestra at a free reception this evening (Tues., 3/3) at 8 p.m. in the Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture.
On Wednesday (3/4) from 6-7:30 p.m., Page Auditorium will be open to the public for an open rehearsal of Shaheen's ensemble.
Duke Performances presents an 8 p.m. concert Thursday (3/5) in Page, where Shaheen will present the world premiere of "ASWAT (Voices): Celebrating the Golden Age of Arab Music," with featured vocalists Ibrahim Azzam, Sonia M'Barek, Khalil Abonula and Rima Khcheich.
The 53-year-old Shaheen has been called "one of the most dynamic musical links between the Arab world and the West." From a Palestinian musical family, he studied Western classical music in Haifa and the Academy of Music in Jerusalem, where he also taught. He entered the New York music scene when he came to the U.S. in 1980 to begin graduate studies at Columbia and the Manhattan School of Music. In the '90s, he founded his own classical ensemble of Arab music, NEME (Near Eastern Music Ensemble) and recorded several albums. In 2000, he saw the need for a thoughtful approach to world fusion, and created the jazz and Arab music ensemble Qantara (which translates as "arch").
"I've tried to come up with a formula that is original, interesting musically, but not harming the roots. So the qantara is a symbol of something that holds different things together, and when you go through it, you don't know what to expect inside. It's like a new world."
Friday was definitely hip. Reviews of PrimeraJazz and Bobby Sanabria with Duke's big band.
PrimeraJazz sparkled Friday evening for a well turned-out crowd at the NC Art Museum's "Sabor Latino" Art in the Evening party. I came in between sets, and had time to make the rounds and order a nice Spanish wine with some sweet potato fries (one of the South's true delicacies) as I settled in for set 2. I've rarely seen an unknown group capture the ear of a crowd that was actively feeding and drinking, but this audience ate up the music with the same gusto as they consumed their Cuban pork tortillas and mango and cheese sampler plates. Even as the party was winding down, intent listeners were still lingering in a circle around the band, arms folded, concentrating on the next change in the weather: from stirring salsa montunos to the soulful minimalism of an Ahmad Jamal-style piano line, a jolt of uppity New Orleans clave, or a classical piano solo in the coda of Dizzy Gillespie's "Night in Tunisia." Al Strong's trumpet sailed over the modulated seas of so much rhythm (bateria and conga, bass and piano), and the mood was percolating. Among fellow thrill-seekers was Eduardo Winston of Paso, and we shared the limelight for a few unplanned demos of casino dance steps. Rather than hold back when the rumba calls, I've long ago learned that the best response is always to answer in the affirmative.
From Raleigh, I jetted back to Durham in time to hear the Duke University Jazz Ensemble finishing out their first set with "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy." Suitably warmed up, I went backstage at intermission to say hi to Bobby Sanabria, our distinguished visitor of the last week, who was getting ready to lead the concert's second half. These are heavy charts; Machito, Puente; nothing for any swing band to take for granted. Bobby's knack is to up the ante, turning up the tempo on "Frenzy" for added hyperbole, adding a frisky drum solo to "Mambo Beat" (which earned him a standing ovation), and juicing up the caboose of his saxophone section with an all-male cha-cha revue during "Since I Fell for You."
(click on photo to see the series)
Michael Philip Mossman's as yet unrecorded "Hour of Darkness" grew on me like an invasive plant, as I heard it day to day in rehearsals and the concert hall. I'm sure it will be on somebody's next album. Bobby dedicated it to the current administration, and only one person in the audience walked out (ha!). The trombones took solo honors, with Mitch Butler delivering bluesy sabor and Evan Ringel (a Hillsborough high school student) standing tall. The Sanabria effect even transformed the Ensemble's mild-mannered guitar player, Andrew Walker, into a second-line drum major who led game members of the audience on a procession through the hall for the closing "Tururato" re-packaged as a New Orleans homage.
CD sales of Bobby's Grammy-nominated Big Band Urban Folktales after the show were brisk, paving the way (we hope?) for future visits. "I'd like to bring my nonet down to the [new downtown Durham] arts center," says Sanabria, referring to his smoking Latin jazz nine-piece Ascención.
To preview that in your mind's eye, here's a full-length clip of Bobby Sanabria & Ascención playing "Be Bop" at the 2006 Modern Drummer festival:
And for a blast from the past, get a peek at Sanabria here playing drums on a 1984 television show called Heatwave, backing Mongo Santamaria on an uptight (and outtasight) Marty Sheller tune "Pirana":
Some notes as I listen to Bobby's very nice WNCU interview, conducted by B.H. Hudson:
Bobby Sanabria's mission is to perform, inspire, entertain and also to educate the audience, so expect to participate, to enjoy yourself, learn something and also "take it to a spiritual level" at the concert tonight.
Bobby points out that a lot of Puerto Rican contributions to jazz aren't remembered when it comes to composers, such as Juan Tizol who wrote "Caravan."
"It's hipper to share it," Bobby says. If you love this music and are already hip, don't just show up at the concert, or listen on your iPod at work knowing how hip you are and how "corny" everyone else is. Share it with a friend!
Late addition: I couldn't type fast enough...just remembered something else, Bobby talked about the influence on him of his father's taste in music (something he mentioned to me too, 2 years ago in our Atlanta interview). His father worked every day and had a long commute and would relax in a lazy boy in the evening with a cigar, and listen to music--all kinds of music. Latin music but also James Brown, for instance. And Bobby would be like, Dad, you like this music too? And his father answers to the effect of, "Yes. If it's good, it's good." So this was an attitude Bobby took with him in life.
The Duke Jazz Ensemble will be backing Bobby tonight: "It's really a jazz orchestra," Bobby points out, with full trumpets, saxophones, trombones and rhythm section featuring local percussionists Pako Santiago and Bradley Simmons.
"When you have a good drummer, you have to bring your A game," opines Hudson, and John Brown agrees, says the students are really stepping up to the plate. Expect a concert "not to be missed," says Brown.
Tonight's program will go something like this:
Bradley Simmons & Djembe & Afro-Cuban Ensembles. Jazz Ensemble will play a few tunes. Then Bobby will conduct the second half, opening with Mario Bauza tune Frenzy, a rumba abierta featuring Evan Ringold, age 14, on lead trombone.
"He is a jazz musician," says Bobby about this young man from Hillsborough - the ultimate compliment.
Bobby notes that jazz is about the ability "for the individual to stand out in a democratic fashion, with everybody else...expressing themself on a virtuostic level and telling you stories." Jazz can "draw on any other art form...and still retain its ethos."
Oh yeah - the Gottschalk reference! Bobby mentions 19th-century New Orleans composer Louis Moreau Gottschalk who grew up near Congo Square, travelled Latin America and absorbed these influences. A master of improvisation on piano, he also incorporated hand drums into his compositions. Bobby gives more on the history of Latin influences in New Orleans. You hear clave in the second line marches.
"We have many more things in common," says Bobby about jazz and the Latin tinge.
In 1939, Machito with his Afro-Cubans was the first to get jazzers into the Latin sound in New York - before Dizzy and Manteca, as Gillespie himself always pointed out.
"I played with Dizzy many times, and Dizzy was a great Lindy dancer and great mambo and cha cha dancer," says Bobby.
People think Latin music is just "the fire and the brimstone," but "we also have the fire and passion on the romantic side," Bobby says. So we hear "Since I Fell for You," a bolero treatment from Bobby's latest album Big Band Urban Folktales.
This chart will be heard tonight, among many Machito tunes from the album Kenya and others, and a Tito Puente mambo. Also one unrecorded tune called "Hour of Darkness" with a message suited to the politics of our time.
Concert tonight (Friday 10/24): Baldwin Auditorium, East Campus of Duke, 8 pm. All students and seniors free, general admission $5.
Breaking: Bobby Sanabria, Nujackrican drummer extraordinaire, pledges to drop by the studio today for an on-air visit to Azucar y Candela -- exactly what time will be a surprise, but I predict sometime between 5:50 and 6:30 pm! Tune in at 88.7 FM or stream at www.wxdu.org.
Percussion virtuoso Bobby Sanabria brings his savoir faire to Duke University this week for a 3-day residency. Born and raised in the Bronx (where in 2006 a street was named in his honor) of Puerto Rican heritage, Bobby is an internationally respected performer and educator. His third album to be nominated for a Grammy, Big Band Urban Folk Tales, was released in 2007.
Sanabria has an egalitarian eloquence in the musical languages of both Afro-Caribbean folklore and African-American jazz. He understands (and can communicate, both verbally and musically) that these diverse rhythmic traditions of the Americas share a common history and have been, in fact, in conversation with each other for the better part of several centuries. He has added his own bold statements to that conversation through his work as a leader and arranger in both small and large formats, from the quartet to the big band.
To learn more about Bobby's many awards and prominent associations in the world of Latin music, visit www.BobbySanabria.com. Please join me today on Azucar y Candela to hear more from the man himself!
More on Bobby Sanabria Visit...Developing...
Bobby's first rehearsal with the Duke Jazz Ensemble is tonight, I will drop in after the show and report back. I'm curious to see what big band charts he will be rehearsing with them. Will post here about any master classes or other public events.
UPDATE: Bobby will do an informal Q&A with John Brown's Introduction to Jazz class on the Duke East Campus, Richard White Auditorium, from 4:25-5:40 pm today (Wed). Following that, I will be expecting him to drop by my show a little before 6 pm.
Don't forget the main event Friday night (10/24): Bobby's visit culminates in a public concert in Baldwin Auditorium. Tickets are a mere $5, so there is NO EXCUSE to miss this one! Bobby will play with Bradley Simmons, John Brown, the Duke Afro-Cuban and Djembe Ensembles, the Duke Jazz Ensemble, and confirmed guest Pako Santiago (bongos).
Tip: Tonight (Wed 10/22) is also one of John Brown's Jazz at the Mary Lou jam sessions, and if past experience is any indicator, Bobby Sanabria may sit in as a surprise guest. That's if Mr. Aché is not too beat after a long first day of air travel, classes, interviews and rehearsals!
See Onda Carolina calendar for details on all events.
Corrections added: Pako Santiago will play bongo, not timbales. Also, as of press time Chino Casiano is not confirmed to be singing with the group, as previously reported.
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