1. Jimmy Cliff
Date: Tuesday, June 5, 2010
Time: 7:30pm
Venue: Prospect Park Bandshell (9th St. and Prospect Park West entrance)
Ticket: free, but $3 donation
Genre: reggae/pops
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Jamaican independence, the 40th of the iconic film The Harder They Come, and 34 years of free shows at Celebrate Brooklyn!, reggae legend JIMMY CLIFF kicks off our season with a concert for the ages. Cliff’s musical legacy includes such classics as You Can Get It if You Really Want and Many Rivers to Cross, and his voice, true as ever, remains one of the wonders of popular music.
2. Martin Bisi with Emanuel And The Fear & Spaces
Date: Thursday, June 7, 2012
Time: 9pm
Venue: Union Pool (484 Union Avenue, corner of Union & Meeker, Brooklyn, NY, 718-609-0484)
Ticket: $8
Genre: indie rock
At a studio he started with the help of Brian Eno in Brooklyn 1981, Martin Bisi as a producer has realized albums by Sonic Youth, Material/Bill Laswell, John Zorn, Swans, Africa Bambaataa, Herbie Hancock’s Rockit, Boredoms, Foetus, Helmet, White Zombie, Dresden Dolls, Cop Shoot Cop, Unsane, Serena Maneesh, Jon Spencer’s Boss Hog, and countless other indie, experimental and post-punk records. In his own live performances he combines heavier post-rock psychedelia with upbeat story-telling indie fare, and unique sound layering.
Spaces is an American instrumental post-rock band based in Brooklyn, NY. They are typically known for their exploration of various genres, often following celestial themes, and have released two full-length albums to date.
Emanuel and the Fear is a band. They live in New York City and Brooklyn. There used to be 11 of them, but now there are only 6. Emanuel and the Fear have been advised to explain what they sound like. They can’t, however, seem to agree on a genre classification since the only thing all 6 of them can agree on is that Marvin Gaye’s rendition of the Star Spangled Banner at the 1983 NBA all-star game is a brilliant piece of music. If you call them a rock band, nobody will be offended.
3. Fared Shafinury
Date: Friday and Saturday, June 8 & 9, 2012
Time: 8:30-10:30pm
Venue: ZirZamin (90 W. Houston, New York, NY 10012)
Ticket: $35
Genre: Persian classical and Pop music
Critically acclaimed composer, vocalist, setarist, and multi-instrumentalist – Fared Shafinury – unearths his roots in classical Persian music. He reinvigorates the ancient sound of the Persian setar with a modern touch, seamlessly morphing together influences ranging from sleepy beach towns along the Gulf of Mexico, to the soft gentile rolling hills of central Texas, to the dramatic mist hidden cliffs of Big Sur California, and melodically retracing an arc back to scattered villages of Iran, to the foothills of a Tehran today.
About Zirzamin: Zirzamin is the Persian/Farsi word meaning “underground”, not only in a literal sense but in a poetic, metaphorical sense. Zirzamin is also an exciting new live music parlour by Austin, Texas’ favorite music proponent and owner of famed venue Momo’s, Paul Oveisi.
Located on the border of Greenwich Village & SoHo at 90 West Houston Street, Zirzamin is an intimate and underground setting – in both location and spirit – offering diverse live music, specialty Texas libations and a short, Austin-inspired menu designed by one of New York’s finest barbeque chefs.
4. AFROCUBISM / ALSARAH & THE NUBATONES
Date: Saturday, June 9, 2012
Time: 7:30pm
Venue: Prospect Park Bandshell (9th St. and Prospect Park West entrance)
Ticket: free, but $3 donation
Genre: Afro-Latin music/Nubian or traditional music of Sudan
AFROCUBISM is the all-star collaboration between Malian and Cuban musicians that famously never happened: the Africans didn’t make it to Cuba as planned in 1996; the album that was recorded without them became Buena Vista Social Club. The group has finally united, with stunning results. “AfroCubism is a summit of giants at play – their egos in check, their hearts open and the tangled history of two worlds flowing through their veins.” (NPR) With ALSARAH & THE NUBATONES, who blend Nubian ‘songs of return’ from the 1970s with originals and traditional music of Sudan.
