Ten years and a world of difference. Since its inception as a one-night showcase festival a decade ago, globalFEST, the festival-turned-non-profit arts organization, has moved the needle, helping to bring global sounds from the margins to center stage. What started as a desire to give global music the recognition it deserved on the performing arts scene has opened major venues and festivals to international artists with deep roots and modern sensibilities.
Founded by some of the United States’ most informed and engaged global music presenters, gF is co-led by a trio of dedicated volunteer producers/curators: Bill Bragin of Acidophilus: Live & Active Cultures, Isabel Soffer of Live Sounds, and Shanta Thake of Joe’s Pub at The Public. globalFEST celebrates its 10th year on January 13, 2013 at NYC’s Webster Hall (125 East 11th Street), with a dozen vibrant acts from across the world and the sonic spectrum.
Continuing its commitment to supporting artists from the culturally rich, diverse Gulf Coast region since Hurricane Katrina, globalFEST has added the Stooges Brass Bandfrom New Orleans. From second-line parades in the back streets of the Crescent City, collaborations with hip-hop, Cuban, Balkan, and South Asian bands, and performances at festivals across the country, including a guest appearance at globalFEST’s tent at Bonnaroo, the Stooges immerse crowds in the rich musical legacy of New Orleans.
2013 globalFEST Lineup
A Tribe Called Red: This crew of DJs and audio-visual artists, joined by live pow wow singers, reimagines pow wow music for Canada’s increasingly urbanized aboriginal youth, reclaiming clichés and transforming them into hot club beats and striking images. VIDEO
Christine Salem (NYC debut): One of the few female voices of Maloya, a traditional music of the island of Réunion, the rebellious Christine Salem is an extraordinary artist with a unique path. Accompanied by a kayanm, a percussion instrument made from sugar cane flower stems and seeds central to Maloya music, she sings in Creole, Malagasy, Comorian, or Swahili, blending music from the Indian Ocean and African rhythms. VIDEO
Fatoumata Diawara: With an intense but gentle stage presence and catchy, lilting songs, Diawara is the latest strong female Wassalou voice to emerge from Mali’s diverse, lively music scene. VIDEO
Kayhan Kalhor and Erdal Erzincan: Two masters in their own right join forces for virtuosic, riveting improvisations based on the shared melodies of Persian and Turkish classical forms. Kalhor’s evocative kamanche (spike fiddle) sails over the delicate yet vigorous textures of Erzincan’s baglama (long-necked lute). VIDEO
La Santa Cecilia: Big, bold, and danceable, this Latin Grammy-nominated L.A.-based band harnesses gutsy vocals and roaring accordion to explore pan-Latin and alt-pop good times. VIDEO
La Shica: Flamenco and funk-tinged rock are the perfect pairing in this Madrid quartet’s hands. Serpentine, sultry flamenco vocals and dance meld with electric guitar flourishes for hard-hitting nuevo flamenco. VIDEO
Lo’Jo: Polyglot pioneers of border-defying music from elsewhere and everywhere, the French band synthesizes powerful grooves, delightful vocals, Gallic soul, and influences that range from the Saharan nomad blues of the Tuareg to Balkan beats.VIDEO
Martha Redbone Roots Project: With a soulful voice and intrepid spirit, Redbone focuses on her Native American and Appalachian roots, drawing on the stirring poems of William Blake and high lonesome sounds to shed new light on old ways.VIDEO
Mucca Pazza:A marching band that thinks it’s a rock ‘n roll band, a couple dozen mischievous performers – including high-jumping cheerleaders, anarchic horns, and helmet-amped guitarists – tear through originals inspired by the world’s marching band traditions and perfected in Chicago’s underground. VIDEO
Oliver Mtukudzi and the Black Spirits: Oliver, known affectionately as ‘Tuku,’ the venerable Afropop pioneer from Zimbabwe has remained a vital, ever-changing part of the African music scene, adored for his beautiful guitar work, rich and husky voice, and positive, uplifting message. VIDEO
Stephane Wrembel and His Band: Wrembel’s wry, skillful interpretation of the jazz manouche guitar sound, first made famous by Django Reinhardt, has caught the ears of Woody Allen (who used Wrembel’s work in Vicky Cristina Barcelonaand Midnight in Paris). His five-piece band summons up the glorious, swinging, bittersweet spirit of Gypsy jazz. VIDEO
Stooges Brass Band: Winners of the coveted “Best Contemporary Brass Band” at the Big Easy Music Awards, The Stooges have gained notoriety as a full-blown party band whether leading a second-line parade in the back streets of the Crescent City, collaborating with hip-hop, Cuban, Balkan, or South Asian bands, or performing at festivals across the country, including a guest appearance at globalFEST’s tent at Bonnaroo. The Stooges immerse crowds in a high-energy, cut loose vibe that draws from contemporary yet deeply rooted in the rich musical legacy of New Orleans.
globalFEST, Inc. is a not-for-profit production presented in association with Live Sounds, Joe’s Pub at the Public, Acidophilus: Live & Active Cultures and The Bowery Presents. Support provided by The Ford Foundation and The Cultural Services of the French Embassy with additional support from the French Music Export Office, recognizing France’s pre-eminent role as a hotbed of global music activity. Kayhan Kalhor and Erdal Erzincan are presented with support from Cultures of Resistance Network Foundation.
