1. The University of Tokyo Alumni Choir Concert “Japan Earthquake Benefit & Sandy Relief Concert”
Date: Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Time: 8pm
Venue: Carnegie Hall – Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage ( 57th Street and Seventh Avenue, 212-247-7800)
Ticket: from $10 to $100
Genre: Japanese folk songs, Noh, Kyogen, etc.
Event Information: http://tokyouniversity.weebly.com/
Performers
- The University of Tokyo Alumni Choir
- The University of Tokyo Choir
- Masahiro Sakai and Reona Ito, Conductors
- Yoko Miki, Organ, Continuo, and Piano
- New York City Noh and Kyogen Workshop Group Members
- Guest Artist: Giuseppe Bausilio, Actor
- Flutes of Hope
…Ralph Samuelson and Akihito Obama, Shakuhachi
…Nobuko Miyazaki, Shinobue
…Sumie Kaneko, Shamisen and Voice
…Isaku Kageyama, Taiko - Seiji Kasai and Risako Arcari, Speakers
Program
- YOSHIHISA FUJIWARA Hokke-Senpou
- CHERUBINI Requiem in D Minor
- And traditional Japanese music and movement
2. Manu Koch & Filtron M
Date: Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Time: 6pm – 8pm
Venue: The Shrine (2271 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd, NY)
Ticket: donation
Genre: jazz/latin
Keyboardist, pianist and composer Manu Koch belongs to a New York-based, transnational tribe of artists who are reshaping the contours of contemporary groove-based music in the 21st century. His debut album, Triple Life, released in March 2011, is an eclectic genre border-crossing experience that distills his multiple-dimensional musical life as a performer into one funky, jazz-inflected amalgam of global electronic music. The arrival of this musical project also marks the beginning of his role as a bandleader and his live band collective Filtron M.
Line up: Manu Koch – keyboards, Patrick Andy – bass, Harvey Wirht – drums and with Brahim Fribgane – oud, percussion.
3. Ballaké Sissoko & Vincent Segal
Date: Thursday, February 28, 2013
Time: 8pm
Venue: French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) (55 East 59th Street, New York, NY)
Ticket: $30
Genre: West African Kora Meets Classical Cello
Mali is in the grip of crisis. While the north is home to Islamic extremists who have tried to ban music, the south is ruled by a military junta that toppled the democratically elected government last March. Last week, as French and Malian troops successfully routed Islamist fighters from cities in the north, residents erupted in jubilation. After ten months of harsh Islamic rule, men and women danced side by side, and the streets resounded once again with the rhythms of djembe drums and the rich, soulful melodies for which Mali is famous. Yet the fight is not over, and many worry that the Islamists will simply regroup and return. In the midst of this turmoil, Malian musicians continue to bring their music to the world, as powerful as ever.
On February 28, Malian griot or djeli (oral historian/praise singer) Ballaké Sissoko, a master of the hypnotic kora (21-stringed harp-lute), joins with classically-trained French cellist Vincent Segal for an engaging evening of music that blends West African and European music. Sissoko, who has collaborated with Toumani Diabaté, Taj Mahal, and minimalist composer Ludovico Einaudi, and Segal, whose musical experiences have ranged from the Opéra de Lyon to jazz and hip-hop groups, share a powerful link with tradition, and a longing to push tradition to the limit. At a time when cross-cultural music has tended toward highly caffeinated electric pop and dance music, Sissoko and Segal remind us that there is room—and maybe even a need—for something quieter, something more refined. Their duets bring the meditative, introspective side of African music to the fore.
The program will include selections from Chamber Music (Six Degrees Records), their critically acclaimed album that became an instant classic and went on to win a Victoire de la Musique (French equivalent of the Grammy Award),resulting in 200 concerts around the world. It will also feature selections from Sissoko’s new (February 5th release) Six Degrees Records CD, At Peace, which celebrates Mali’s spirit of peace and beauty, evoking harmony, healing and a healthy community life. The album, which was produced by Segal and includes Segal’s collaborations with Sissoko, relies on the strong bond that unites its musicians.
4. Golem
Date: Saturday, March 2, 2013
Time: 9:30pm
Venue: Drom (85 Avenue A, NY, NY 10009, 212- 777-1157)
Ticket: $15
Genre: Jewish Gypsy Punk
Klezmer-rock band Golem was founded by Annette Ezekiel Kogan in 2001, and since then they have become the leading re-interpreters of Yiddish and Eastern European music as well as innovators, creating new songs and pushing tradition forward into new territory. Golem performs nationally and internationally, from the east coast to the west, from Paris to to Stockholm to Warsaw. The band is at home in venues as varied as rock clubs, festivals, and theaters. They have two albums, Fresh Off Boat and Citizen Boris released on independent Jewish label, Jdub Records. Golem is known for its theatricality and fearless wild energy, combined with love and reverence for tradition.
5. Earth People – Opus One
Date: Saturday, March 2, 2013
Time: 8pm
Venue: The Firehouse Space (246 Frost St., East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY 11211)
Ticket: $10
Genre: jazz?/modern music?
The music of a collective consciousness that forms out of spiraling cascades of sonic mesmer-sensations! Long term drummer of the Cecil Taylor Unit, André Martinez takes his unit from planet to planet! A debut performance of their Opus One … a homage to Brahmns Opus 77 in D major!
André Martinez : Drums, Doug Principato: Conductor, Frederika Krier : Violin, Tomas Ulrich: Cello, Francois Grillot: Contrabass, Jason Candler: Clarinet, Sabir Mateen: Alto Clarinet, Karen Borca: Bassoon, Elliott Levin: Flute, Stephen Haynes: Trumpet, Brian Groder: Trumpet, Mark Hennen: Piano, Chris Forbes: Piano
6. William Hooker Ensemble & On Ka’a Davis with the Famous Original Djuke Music Players
Date: Saturday, March 2, 2013
Time: 9pm & 11pm
Venue: Nublu (62 Avenue C, bet. E. 4th and 5th st., New York, NY 10009)
Ticket: $10
Genre: Funk/Jazz/improv
William Hooker is an artistic whole, a vast circle of vision and execution. A body of uninterrupted work beginning in the mid-seventies defines him as one of the most important composers and players in jazz. As bandleader, Hooker has fielded ensembles in an incredibly diverse array of configurations. Each collaboration has brought a serious investigation of his compositional agenda and the science of the modern drum kit. As a player, Hooker has long been known for the persuasive power of his relationship with his instrument. His work is frequently grounded in a narrative context. Whether set against a silent film or anchored by a poetic theme, Hooker brings dramatic tension and human warmth to avant-garde jazz. His ability to find fertile ground for moving music in a variety of settings that obliterate genre distinctions offers a much-needed statement of social optimism in the arts. A disciplined, adaptive, and energetic approach to his medium insures that the oeuvre of William Hooker will continue to grow thicker and richer.
About: On Ka’a Davis
“Drawing inspiration from the outer realms of Blackness, On Ka’a channels Sun Ra, P-Funk, Hendrix, Fela Kuti and more… Raw, wild and untainted!…. this is a new world envisioned, produced and realized by the mystical figure On Ka’a Davis and his band of musical magicians!! – by John Zorn
