Orquesta GarDel is getting ready to unveil more original tunes this Saturday (5/30) from 6-8 pm at the free Rivermill Outdoor Music Series in Saxapahaw.
This timba tune by trombone leader Andy Kleindienst debuted in April:
Now, keyboardist Eric Hirsh is about to bring his own baby on board. He says he was inspired to write complex, yet catchy horn lines last year after listening to a lot of Bamboleo and Charanga Habanera.
"I wanted to make sure that the rhythm feels distinctly Cuban. It's gotta have that aggressive FUNK," writes Eric.
This spring, GarDel's members collaborated during songwriting rehearsals to tie up loose ends.
"Nelson [Delgado] is really coming into his own as a lyricist," adds Eric. "His thematic concept for the song is very spiritual and philosophical, but in a way that still exhorts everyone to dance and have a good time."
I think we can oblige. UPDATE 5/31:
I made it in time for the debut, but my camera battery gave out. So, no video! Coincidentally, Eric said one of his keyboards was not performing properly, so he was forced to turn it off. (Love the multiple keyboard effects he uses for GarDel and The Beast; that's timbalicious right there.) We agreed that we would re-premiere this work (does it have a title, E?) and publicly document it in the nearest possible future.
That said, my impressions: The Cuban funk is definitely there (hallelujah), and the texture is dark and complicated (what Eric called "a harmonic palette somewhere between an R&B song and modal jazz"). I was dancing during this song but I could feel most people stopping to listen and assess. This was quite different from GarDel's usual Puerto Rican weather, i.e. sun-drenched with occasional thunderstorms. This was a rumbling deep underground. P.S. Almost forgot: there's been a personnel change. Saxophonist Bluford Thompson, a degree candidate in jazz performance and composition at North Carolina Central, is taking over the chair of Wayne Leechford, who has left GarDel to pursue other opportunities. Wayne is a music veteran in the Triangle who has given lots of love to Latin music fans over the years. We wish him well, and issue a warm welcome to Blu; it should be an interesting bench this year as he joins reedsman Tim Smith.
They are about to take the stage with Orquesta Gardel for the WORLD PREMIERE of a new timba tune written by trombonist Andy Kleindienst. It's entitled, get this: "Welcome to Shakori Hills"!
A song, written FOR the gig? That's like, 111% percent commitment. That's like a renaissance-scale luxury.
VIDEO of this blessed event will be posted as soon as I can get it uploaded!
Team Paso was there (Cuban-style dance school led by Stephanie and Eduardo Winston) to validate this experiment of timba-in-the-wildnerness.
I feel like I was present for something historic Thursday night: not only Gardel's first original, fresh out of the gate (with more soon to follow), but very possibly the first timba song ever written in the Triangle, and almost certainly the first timba song dedicated to Shakori Hills. The sound of timba, with its dynamic piano lines and punchy metales, really suits Gardel. Even though he talked a lot about "salsa gorda," Puerto Rican sonero Nelson Delgado carried the Cuban timba style convincingly right down to his "ahi nama's".
This band was born to play timba. Congratulations Andy! Gardel continues to set the bar higher.
It was in this same spot a year ago that their April performance at Shakori sparked my awe and the Indy cover story that ensued. There's something magical about that Dance Tent, where great evenings with Plena Libre, Bio Ritmo, and Ricardo Lemvo y Makina Loca have gone before.
His touring five-piece (which plays twice more on Friday) features Cuban-born bassist Jorge Bringas; New York Cuban and DUKE GRADUATE ('94) Alex Fernandez Fox on tres and jazz guitar; Venezuelan jazz percussionist Pablo Bencid, as versatile on cajon as drumset; and a surprise: conguero Gabo Tomasini of Bio Ritmo! Jose was born in Chicago, raised in Miami and makes his home in Brooklyn, but he and the Richmond-based Ritmo are good friends. There was a lot of diversity to his set, and Jose charmed with his laid-back sonero style and personal, often whimsical songs in styles from Haitian to joropo. They closed with some son and salsa, and Jose tells me TONIGHT'S SET (Friday night, Dance Tent) will be tailored to the dancer.
"It will be more of the dance stuff, and a couple funky things. We have a wide repertory," says the urban sonero.
"I like to sing in rhythm, and I like to tell stories. I'm trying to take the son spirit into funk," says Jose.
This performance from Thursday night, when they were fighting cold temperatures to keep their instruments in tune, shows their Cuban dance music side. "Puente a Mi Gente," about ending the embargo, features a frisky tres solo by Alex Fernandez Fox.
Jose didn't realize that the festival organizers found him via his nifty Obama video.
"Oh wow," says Jose. "Well we're going to have to do it tomorrow then. That was written for the election, so we'll do it in its original incarnation."
UPDATE added Saturday, 4/18:
Ok, I wondered what he meant. Here is Friday night's performance of the tune "Respondeme," which he adapted for the Obama video. It's a smart-sexy love song (appropriate):
Again, Alex Fernandez Fox takes a searing solo on tres. Alex says his first instrument was piano. At some point, he made his own tres, and then figured out how to play it. (Cubano hasta el hueso.) If I got the story straight, he played guitar in the Duke Jazz Band in the early '90s, under the direction of Paul Jeffries.
Jose Conde's singing voice reminds me a little of Bono, if Bono were an 80-year-old Cuban man living in the mountains. Maybe the Catskills. In any case someone like Alex and his tasty tres would never be far away.
Saturday at Shakori: Get Horny with The Beast
Today at 5 pm: Take a ride in Pierce Freelon's jazz hip hop vehicle The Beast with its new, pimped out horn section. Arranger/pianist Eric Hirsh says to expect new arrangements and more Latin soul flavor. Other Gardelites on hand: Pete Kimosh, Andy Kleindienst and Tim Smith. Vaya!
Bring a cozy for your beer, and maybe a stash of your own toilet paper (just in case the portapotty village runs out). I love the New York Pizza and the Indian food vendors, and the way the stars in the night sky always look brighter when you are out in the country. If you stay late, bring warm clothes in case the temperature cools down, and if you leave the festival at night, watch for small critters on the roads (I slowed for quite a few deer and bunnies). Drive safely! It's definitely worth the mileage.
UPDATE added Sunday (3/5): SONS OF CUBA World Premiere
I went to the sold-out, world premiere Friday night of Sons of Cuba, a British-made film about the boys' boxing academy in Havana. Director Andrew Lang and editor Simon Rose said they had only just finished the film 3 days earlier. Lang completed film school training in Cuba in 2005 and had unprecedented access to the boarding academy, which accepts boys as young as 9 and trains them to become Olympic boxers.
I really liked the film, any movie that brings the sights and sounds of Cuba and its people closer is a joy. Music's role in the film was mostly in the soundtrack, which drew heavily on Cuban rap; the credits went by fast but I remember seeing one Eliseo Grenet tune, and some unfamiliar band names I take to be next gen hip hop. This was a good fit for the theme.
One boy, Santos, is nicknamed "The Singer," because he's always composing rap-like lyrics and songs on the spot. He was rather unhappy at boxing camp, and I kept thinking, they should transfer this kid to the conservatory farm system! I admit that one of my motives to see the film is that I imagine it must be somewhat similar to the life experienced by young musicians in Cuba, who are also taken from home at a young age. I think I am probably not too wrong in this.
The degree of love and bonding among the boys, and also between them and their nevertheless demanding coach, was an impressive fact. So was the close relationship most of these boys shared with their mothers. It was striking to me that the coach even impressed upon the boys, "your mother is the most important person in your life." That's far from the aggressive, "don't be a sissy," encoding of masculinity and rejection of all things feminine so typical in many or most societies when they are training men for a sport like boxing. Knowing Cuban culture from another angle, it was not hard for me to imagine these boys a little older, when they start having girlfriends, and thinking that any boy who loves his mother so much will surely end having a healthy respect for and attachment to women. That's not to say there is no "macho" element in Cuban culture (so I hear), but there's a certain approach to love, sensuality and pleasure, at least encoded in the music, that I find quite egalitarian. Let's just take as one example Mayito's song with Los Van Van, "Llevala a tu vacilon," where a guy is encouraged to take his girlfriend out to the parties with him, rather than leaving her at home. Let your girl have her fun, or you won't have a girl for very long.
It was hard to watch very young children undergo such grueling physical training. I couldn't help wondering if the obsession with weight, in particular, was not detrimental at that age, both physically and psychological. How do they allow for these kids to grow up, while maintaining a rigid weight class of say 32 kg? The hero, Christian, really had a gaunt, overexercised appearance. He sure as hell could fight though. Christian was an interesting character, because he's the son of a former Cuban Olympic and World Champion.
There was so much heart and emotion in this movie and so many tears: tears in victory, tears in defeat, tears when family stress intruded on school, tears when certain kids didn't make the team cut. I have never seen so many men (and boys) cry in two hours in my life! These men really love and comfort each other, even the rival coaches of the Havana and Matanzas academies, who do some hilarious trash talking in the beginning, but dissolve in a tearful embrace at the end. The Matanzas kid boxers had a reputation of being big, tough, yucca-eating farmers' sons who can punch you into next week, which made me think about the Matanzas stevedores who invented rumba, and Ignacio Piñeiro walking out to Matanzas for some good Afro-Congolese food and dancing in the song "Echale Salsita."
After the film, I stood up at one of the mics and asked the filmmakers if they had considered the film, among other things, as a portrait of Cuban masculinity; to my shock, really, Lang said this never occurred to him. Never occurred to him! Interesting. And he says he went to an all-male boarding school.
I think this has something to do with the fact that, like most outsiders making a movie about the Cuban system, they bring their own values to it somehow. That's not inappropiate. But Lang highlighted the historicity of the film being shot during the transition from Fidel to Raul. However, this event seemed like a bit of an anticlimax to me, both as experienced in real life, and as a dramatic element in the film. I guess he wouldn't be doing his job as a filmmaker not to position the film in its context and political moment in this way, but it really had no impact on the inherent drama of the film, which was all about the boys and their rival boxing teams. And, their dreams.
One point that the film made clearly was that all these people, children and adults, are coping with life in this system, the way anyone anywhere is forced to do. In particular, all these boys face a lot of pressure from their families to do well, so that they might have a chance to pull their families out of poverty. It's really not that different from the U.S., where low-wealth minorities are positioned to view sports and entertainment as aspirational paths.
It's a remarkable film, well worth seeing. If you love Cuba and her children, you'll probably be crying too by the end; I was. Beautiful moving images, too. These kids are unforgettable. Oh, and I can't wait for the followup films in 5 years, 10 years, etc. Like the Balseros docs, that would really be fascinating. Are you listening, Lang & friends? Well done, and keep us posted.
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.
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