Author Archives: Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi

Concert Review: Suwon Civic Chorale… The question of the price they paid for mastery of western music was answered.

Suwon_230_385[18204]Venue: Alice Tully Hall, at Lincoln Center (NY)
Date: October 19th, 2013

Concert Review by Dawoud Kringle

When I was offered a ticket to attend the performance of the Suwon Civic Chorale at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Centre, I was intrigued. It has been my experience with Koreans (South Koreans, that is) that they devote a great deal of their energy to mastering the arts and music of the west. And while there is nothing inherently wrong or blameworthy about this, I cannot help but wonder if Korea has done this at its own expense. I cannot, in my entire life, recall hearing traditional/classical Korean music.

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CD Review: Uri Sharlin and the DogCat Ensemble… a fine musical experience

DogCat_BTTWAlbumCoverArtist: Uri Sharlin and the DogCat Ensemble
Title: Back in the Woods
Label: Folk Dune Records
Genre: fusing jazz and classical influences with Balkan rhythms, Arabic modes and Brazilian harmonies

CD Review by Dawoud Kringle

Uri Sharlin (accordion, piano, and wurli) and his group the DogCat Ensemble (Gili Sharett; bassoon, Matt Darriau; bass clarinet, Kyle Sanna; guitar, Jordan Scannella; bass, Rich Stein; percussion, John Hadfield; percussion, and special guests, Ital Kriss; flute and alto flute, Ze Mauricio; Pandeiro, and Michael Lavalle; zabumba) have presented a nicely composed and executed musical offering.

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CD Review: Van-Anh Vanessa Vo’s “Three Mountain Pass”… a master of the silence between notes

Van_ThreeMountainPassCoverArtist: Van-Anh Vanessa Vo
Title: Three Mountain Pass
Label: Innova Recordings
Genre: Vietnamese folk music

CD Review by Dawoud Kringle

The first track of Three Mountain Pass leaps out at the listener. A solo piece performed on the danTranh (a 16-string Vietnamese zither with movable bridges and the springy, bending tones, resembling the koto), adopted from a traditional opera by Cải lương. Silvery threads of sound leap about in a primordial dance. Notes glide and bend into each other with precision and beauty. One is drawn into this arcane poem of slippery metallic tones and almost indefinable notes, leaving the listener wondering why this strange language speaks so eloquently to one’s spirit. In a time when highly skilled Asian musicians (not to mention attractive female Asian musicians) seem in a surplus, Van-Anh Vanessa Vo stands out as someone with something unique to offer.

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Drummer & Composer Ronald Shannon Jackson Dies at 73 Leader of the Decoding Society also played with Ornette Coleman and many others…

Text by Jeff Tamarkin (published here: http://jazztimes.com/articles/108150-drummer-composer-ronald-shannon-jackson-dies-at-73

Ronald Shannon Jackson, a drummer and composer who worked largely within the realms of free jazz, funk and fusion, died Oct. 19, in Ft. Worth, Tex. Jackson’s passing was confirmed by his cousin, Tobi Hero, on Jackson’s Facebook page. Jackson was suffering from leukemia and had been living in a hospice. He was 73.

Jackson recorded more than 20 albums as a leader and served as a sideman with such pioneers of jazz’s avant-garde as Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman and Albert Ayler. (The drummer was in fact the only musician to work with all three.) Jackson’s band the Decoding Society, formed in 1979, incorporated contemporary elements such as rock, funk and dance and included, at various times, such now well-known players as Billy Bang, Byard Lancaster, Zane Massey, David Fiuczynski, Jef Lee Johnson, Melvin Gibbs, Robin Eubanks and Vernon Reid.

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Music listings – 10/21 through 10/27

1. Yumi Kurosawa & Deep Singh

Date: Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Time: 5pm – 7pm
Venue: Rubin Museum (150 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011,  212-620-5000)
Ticket: free
Genre: modern koto music

Japanese Kotoist Yumi Kurosawa is joined by guest artist and tabla master Deep Singh for an innovative musical performance emphasizing both tradition and modernity. Kurosawa, labeled a “mesmerizing… inventive, cosmopolitan composer,” by The New York Times, will showcase her unique approach to the Koto by venturing beyond the limits of traditional acoustics, exploring classical techniques with contemporary, electronically-infused flair. Kurosawa’s solo virtuosity, featured for the first half of the concert, will then be accented with the echoing, sharp tones of Singh’s Indian tabla. Continue reading →