1. Sean Hayes w. Birds of Chicago

Date: Tuesday, October 29, 2012
Time: 7pm
Venue: Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012, ph: 212- 505-3474)
Ticket: $20
Genre: singer-song writer

Sean Hayes’ worn, soulful music defies easy categorization. Described as loose, dusty, and alive, his songs radiate a free-spirited charm that rarely seems attached to any particular era. The result is a sound infused with eclectic instrumentation and an unpolished warmth. Born in New York City and raised in North Carolina, Sean Hayes now resides in San Francisco. His songs have been re-mixed by DJs and and covered by folk artists. His unique soulful voice infects audiences with charm, equal parts affirming and heartbreaking. His most recent album is Run Wolves Run.

2. Sylvain Leroux “Quatuor Creole” CD release concert!

Date: Thursday, November 1, 2012
Time: 8pm – 9pm
Venue: ShapeShifter Lab (18 Whitwell Pl, between Carroll St & 1st St,Brooklyn, NY 11215, 646-820-9452)
Ticket: $10
Genre: world/jazz

Sylvain Leroux will present a live performance of his latest project “Quatuor Creole” featuring legendary vibist Karl Berger. The CD was released in June and it has been well received by critics. With Quatuor Creole, Leroux reexamines the fusion of European and African music that took place in the Americas and informs it with his deep experience. Line up: Sylvain Leroux: flute, ambin (Fula flute), alto sax, donzo ngoni, Karl Berger: vibraphone, piano, Matt Pavolka: bass and Sergo Decius: congas, percussion. Read more here.

3. Jamshied Sharifi Group

Date: Thursday, November 1, 2012
Time: 9;30pm
Venue: ShapeShifter Lab (18 Whitwell Pl, between Carroll St & 1st St,Brooklyn, NY 11215, 646-820-9452)
Ticket: $10
Genre: jazz-world fusion

Jamshied Sharifi, a Persian-American, has composed scores for Hollywood films, written arrangements for major artists such as Ray Charles and Carole King, and performed with world music artists such as Kailash Kher, Yungchen Lhamo, and Mamak Khadem.  But the music that is closest to his heart is from his two solo records, One and A Prayer For The Soul Of Layla. On November 1st he will perform songs from those records with his long-time friends and collaborators: Ole Mathisen on clarinet, Damon Banks on bass, and Benjamin Wittman on drums and percussion.

And while Sharifi’s initial focus in music can be credited to American jazz, it is his infusions of elements from the Middle East and Africa that make his music distinctive. He is an accomplished pianist and synthesizer player. Notably, Sharifi holds the synthesizer to an ‘acoustic’ standard and aims to play it with the detail and richness of articulation that comes naturally to an acoustic instrumentalist. To achieve this sound he uses a controller which allows him to manipulate the synthesizer with his breath. He combines this technique with a ribbon controller that allows him to bend the pitch smoothly and continuously with his finger. According to Jamshied, using both these techniques makes the instrument a “wind-driven, fretless synthesizer”.

4. Elysian Fields

Date: Thursday, November 1, 2012
Time: 7:30pm
Venue: Joe’s Pub (425 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10003, 212-967-7555)
Tickets: $15
Genre: sounds of folk and jazz ballads, no wave and classical music

Legendary cult heroes Elysian Fields have always travelled in mysterious waters. Led by the enigmatic New York co-composers Jennifer Charles (vocals) and Oren Bloedow (guitar), the music born of their collaboration is not easy to categorize. They carry a torch for nature, sex, love, the cycle of death and rebirth, and the sounds of folk and jazz ballads, no wave and classical music, seamlessly interwoven into a style that is at once languorously romantic and tough. TimoutNY writes “the voice and presence of Jennifer Charles are so powerful that almost any criticism falls flat,” and Oren has been called a “guitar god” by the Village Voice.

5. Rana Farhan

6. Elikeh

Elikeh mixes Afro-beat with traditional Togolese polyrhythms to produce captivating tunes that are as listenable as they are danceable. Although based in indigenous traditions, Elikeh’s music has no borders, exploring global themes and personal odysseys.

Please check  Elikeh’s previous concert review here.

7. Ikhlaq Hussain

Date: Friday, November 2, 2012
Time: 8pm
Venue: New York Insight Meditation Center (28 W 27th Street 10th floor New York, NY 10001, Phone: 212-213-4802)
Ticket: $25
Genre: Indian classical (sitar) music

Ustad Ikhlaq Hussain Khan is a virtuoso sitarist from a centuries-long line of influential musicians of the Delhi Gharana, dating back to the very creator of the instruments ‘sitar’ and ‘tabla’ in the early 13th century, Sufi Saint Hazrat Amir Khusrao.
While his lineage is known for their proliferative work in the field of tabla and rhythmic expression/composition, Ikhlaq’s grandfather, Ustad Ahmadi Khan, was the first to choose a different instrument, sarangi. In turn, Ikhlaq’s father, the eminent Ustad Imdad Hussain, chose to devote his musical life to sitar. Ikhlaq’s immediate family was relocated to Pakistan during partition, and still resides in Karachi.
Ikhlaq Hussain, now a resident of New York City, was granted permanent residency in the U.S. on the basis of his extraordinary music ability; a category reserved for individuals with unusually exceptional talents. This has been a testimony to his virtuosity. Ikhlaq Hussain has followed in the footsteps of his forefathers, captivating audiences worldwide with his highly artistic sensibilities and skillful playing.

8. Rakiem Walker Project

Date: Friday, November 2, 2012
Time: 6pm – 8pm
Venue: The Shrine (2271 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd, NY)
Ticket: donation
Genre: jazz

Rakiem Walker is THE Street Musician of NYC! He takes his experience from playing serious gigs in the recording studio or on stage, and brings it live to the streets to perform, test, practice, entertain and perhaps… change people’s lives.