Category Archives: Concert And Event Reviews

Concert Review: Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog barking out a nuclear meltdown alarm – loud and ferocious but tranquil and beautiful at times

Date: May 5, 2013
Venue: Le Poisson Rouge (NY)
Review by Ancelmo James

Last week I headed down to Le Poisson Rouge to see Marc Ribot perform for my first time since 2004, and then, it was with Los Cubanos Postizos. This time it was with Ceramic Dog – Ribot accompanied by Shahzad Ismaily on bass and electronics, and Ches Smith on drums. This particular show was the CD release party of their new album Your Turn (Northern Spy) and was also the band’s first night home from a tour of Japan. A point which Ribot commented on by asserting that they didn’t suffer from jet lag because they spent all of their 7 days in Japan operating “on New York time” a feat which takes a good amount of “well…something” according to Ribot.

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Concert Review: SoSaLa – A Young Band Whose Sound Still Has Great Potential To Grow And Develop…

Date:  Thursday May 2, 2013
Venue: Nublu (NY)

Review by Ancelmo James (soundcloud)

Last Thursday night I made my way across the Williamsburg Bridge to check out SoSaLa – a band lead by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi. The show was interesting for a number of reasons the first of which I shall point out being that the band is comprised of a unique arrangement of instruments. Sohrab, the leader and front man of SoSaLa plays the saxophone accompanied by Michael Wimberly on drums and djembe, Dave Ross on guitar, John Pietaro on vibraphone and Bradely Madsen on trombone, and at times Jeremy Danneman on clarinet as well. As the preceding list indicates, SoSala, is without a bass player.  Although this, as I understand is not a stylistic choice, and rather a matter of circumstance, it certainly pushes the band’s sound in a certain direction. To put it bluntly, SoSala is missing out on some low end frequencies. In lieu of no bass player, it appeared as though the trombone player, with the aid of some effects through a mic, was experimenting with some synth-like bass tones.

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Event Review: Fred Ho – a Night with the Dragon. Film Screening & Book Signing at Museum of Chinese in America

20130425_MOCA_HO_v4Date: April 25, 2013
Venue: Museum of Chinese In America (NY)
Event review by Dawoud Kringle and video by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi

When someone lays claim to the title of “Dragon,’ it is automatically assumed that they can back it up, or else. Fred Ho backs it up.

Ho cuts a flamboyant figure; a large and powerfully built man who wears clothing of his own design, Ho is a true renaissance man. He is a saxophonist, composer, bandleader, playwright, writer, and social activist.

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Concert review:…Dub Trio is killing it!

Date: Monday, April 22, 2013
Venue: Rockwood Music Hall (NY)
Concert review and video by Ancelmo James (soundcloud)

This past Monday night I had the privilege of seeing, in my eyes, one of the most talented and impressive bands that continues to push the frontiers of sonic soundscaping. Since the band’s inception in 2004 the Dub Trio has evolved stylistically from what they have, in at least one way coined, “a live dub experiment” to some of the heaviest, blisteringly fierce, low-end violent beauty these ears have ever had the pleasure of hearing.

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