By Dawoud Kringle
Category Archives: NY Musicians
Meditation on Beethoven
Text by Dawoud Kingle
As I write this, I’m listening to Herbert Von Karajan conducting the Berlin Orchestra in a performance of Beethoven’s 7th symphony, allegretto, 2nd movement.
This is what I’m hearing: Beethoven is getting old. Death is no longer an abstract idea; it is becoming real. He accepts it, as we all must. But the pain of his life is weighing on him. He struggles with memories and loneliness. And from time to time, glimpses of joy and moments happiness come to him, suggesting a great reward at the end of his trials. But for now, he must endure his pain. And his passion.
Dawoud – the sitar maestro!
This is Dawoud playing sitar in this video. He was videotaped at the Yippie Museum Cafe in the Lower East Side March 7th, 2010.
He’s based in New York City. Details will be found at www.renegadesufi.com.
Ejigayehu “Gigi” Shibabaw – Ethiopian soul at its very finest!
Ejigayehu “Gigi” Shibabaw, or Gigi as she is popularly known, is one of the most successful contemporary Ethiopian singers worldwide. Coming from an ancient tradition of song originating in the Ethiopian Church, she has brought the music of Ethiopia to wider appreciation and developed it in combination with a wide variety of styles.
More about Gigi
Dafnis Prieto – possessing awesome virtuosity and astonishing versatility!
Dafnis Prieto Drummer / Composer
His arrival in the U.S. has been compared by to that of an asteroid hitting New York. Indeed, within a short period of time Dafnis Prieto’s revolutionary drumming techniques had a powerful impact on both the Latin and jazz music scene, locally and internationally. Having studied at the school of Fine Arts in Santa Clara as a youngster and later at the National School of Music in Havana, Prieto obtained a thorough classical education while broadening his knowledge of Afro-Cuban music, jazz and world music outside of the academy.
He first toured Europe with pianists Carlos Maza and Ramon Valle and the groundbreaking group “Columna B.” A resident of New York since only 1999, he has already played in bands led by Henry Threadgill, Steve Coleman, Eddie Palmieri, Chico and Arturo O’Farrill, Dave Samuels & The Caribbean Jazz Project, Jane Bunnett, D.D. Jackson, Edward Simon, Michel Camilo, Chucho Valdez, Claudia Acuña, Roy Hargrove, Don Byron, and Andrew Hill, among others.
As a composer , he has created music for dance, film, chamber ensembles, and most notably for his own bands, ranging from duets to his “Small Big Band” and including the distinctively different groups featured on his three acclaimed recordings as a leader, “About The Monks,” Dafnis Prieto “Absolute Quintet” and Dafnis Prieto Sextet “Taking the Soul for a Walk”. He has received new works commissions, grants, and fellowships from Chamber Music America, Jazz at Lincoln Center, East Carolina University, and Meet the Composer. Various awards include “Up & Coming Musician of the Year” by the Jazz Journalists Association in 2006, a Grammy Award Nomination for ”Absolute Quintet” as Best Latin Jazz Album, and a Latin Grammy Nomination for “Best New Artist” in 2007. He also composed the Title track for the Grammy Winner Album “Song for Chico” by Arturo O’Farril and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra in 2008.
