1. Trio Mundo & Dawoud

Date: Monday, July 16, 2012
Time: 8:30pm (Trio Mundo) & 9:30pm (Dawoud)
Venue: ShapeShifter Lab (18 Whitwell Pl, between Carroll St & 1st St, Brooklyn, NY 11215,  646-820-9452)
Ticket: $10
Genre: World/Jazz fusion

Inspired by the vast musical traditions from around the world – east and west, acoustic and electronic, modern and ancient – these varied genres provide a creative and sacred inspiration for Dawoud. Through his artistic vision and unprecedented use of the Indian sitar, he is illuminating a new musical path.
If Dawoud’s music could be defined, it would be World – Jazz Fusion. It’s a jazz experience from an other-worldly realm; a New Age experience with a Downbeat / electronica edge. His music is peaceful, and will awaken within you a hidden source of energy as a friend and guide on your journey.

Dawoud – sitar, dilruba, and whatever else he feels like playing. Jimmy Lopez – acoustic & electronic percussion

Trio Mundo is a world groove group formed by Percussionist Jimmy Lopez, with guitarist Evan Ubiera, bassist Alex Minier, and the there go to guest vocalist, Jessi Colasante. Creative world music, with serious grooves, and touches of jazz, is the name of the game here, and the global fusion that you hear from this band will have you hauntingly hypnotized!

2. MICHAEL ATTIAS’ RENKU (+2)

Date: Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Time:  8:30pm
Venue: Cornelia Street Cafe (29 Cornelia Street, New York, NY)
Ticket: $10
Genre: Jazz

Based in New York City since 1994, Michaël Attias enjoys a multilayered activity as bandleader, sideman, composer, and improviser. In exploring a wide range of situations and collaborations, he has created a supple, passionate and uncompromising language in which to render the richness of his imagination and commitments.

Michaël Attias, alto, baritone saxophones;  Mat Maneri, viola;  Matt Mitchell, piano; John Hébert, bass;  Satoshi Takeishi, percussion, electronics 
Renku (Attias, Hébert, Takeishi) welcomes friends and collaborators Mat Maneri and Matt Mitchell for an evening of sonic meditations on time, numbers, dream visitations, weaves, and waves….

3. Bern Nix Trio

Date: Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Time: 8pm & 10pm
Venue: Iridium (1650 Broadway New York, NY 10019, 212-582-2121)
Ticket: $25
Genre: nu jazz

Bern Nix is a jazz guitarist. He has recorded and performed with Ornette Coleman, notably playing alongside fellow guitarist Charlie Ellerbee in Coleman’s Prime Time group on their key recordings from Dancing in Your Head in the mid-1970 to In All Languages in 1987.

Bern Nix –  guitar, Francios Grillot – bass, Reggie Sylvester – drums and Matt Lavelle – trumpet

4. THE AFRO HORN LATIN JAZZ JAM The 3rd Incarnation

5. The Yellow Dogs (from Iran!) & Deleted Scenes

Date: Friday, July 20, 2012
Time: 8pm
Venue: The Rock Shop (249 4th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11215)
Ticket: $10
Genre: indie rock

The Yellow Dogs formed back in Tehran, Iran in 2006, and are one of the youngest Iranian rock bands out there. The social restrictions in Tehran and the restrictions imposed by the Iranian government forced them underground, and to build their own tiny bohemian practicing room – the “Sagdooni-by their own hands on the rooftop of their drummer Sina’s house. SAGDOONI (farsi for kennel) was where they shaped their own style of independent music. As the Iranian environment cracked down on underground music, they continued making and playing music in their tiny abode shut off from the outside world.

Yellow Dogs were one of the main subjects of the award winning (Cannes & Sao Paulo International film festivals) film, “No One Knows about Persian Cats” – who tells the stories of the underground music scene in Iran. Since their move to the USA one year ago, they have played numerous shows in NYC (including an ongoing monthly gallery/loft party), gone on a national tour, showcased at SXSW and CMJ, recorded an EP “In the Kennel” with producer, Keith Souza (The Battles, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah).

(Read here about the indie rock scene in present Iran.)

Washington DC stalwarts Deleted Scenes released their debut album Birdseed Shirt to Pitchfork’s rave reviews, calling it “ferocious, brave, and a well-balanced demonstration of both thoughtful existentialism and strange, drowsy downers”(Pitchfork, 8.0). Composed of Daniel Scheuerman (guitar, vocals), Matt Dowling (bass, keyboards), Dominic Campanaro (guitar, keyboards, samples), and Brian Hospital (drums), their sophomore LP Young People’s Church of the Air pushes the band’s formidable rhythm section further, exploring the possibility of hope.

Grabbing rhythmic feels from 80’s pop, R&B, surf rock, dark funk, and Go-Go, Young People’s Church of the Air reveals Deleted Scenes discovering a unique ground between pop and experimental impulses.

6. Wake Up Madagascar Tour w/ Jaojoby , Razia Said , Charles Kely and Saramba

Date: Saturday, July 21, 2012
Time: 7pm
Venue: Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012, ph: 212- 505-3474)
Ticket: $25
Genre: music from Madagascar

Singer, songwriter and environmental activist Razia Said spent her childhood in the vanilla-growing region of Madagascar’s northeast coast. After years of living abroad, she returned to discover her country’s landscape ravaged by illegal logging, slash and burn agriculture and the impact of climate change. In an effort to raise awareness at the local and international level, Razia organized the Mifohaza Masoala (Wake Up Masoala) music/environmental festival which took place at the edge of the Masoala Rainforest in October 2011.

Jaojoby

Eusèbe Jaojoby is the most popular singer in Madagascar and throughout the Indian Ocean islands. He is one of the founders and the most brilliant interpreter of the style that symbolizes the “Red Island”: salegy. The “King of Salegy” is the nickname given to Jaojoby by his fellow countrymen, demonstrating his important role Madagascar’s most prevalent music style. Born in a village on the northeastern coast of Madagascar, Jaojoby and his 12 brothers and sistersgrew up singing Catholic hymns in church choirs and traditional folk songs atvillage festivals, celebrations and community events. As a teenager, Jaojoby began performing professionally, blending elements of Malagasy roots music with Western influences, especially electric guitars and drums. While his musical career was sidetracked in the 1980s, he was convinced to participate in a French recording of salegy songs, which led to a hit single and the rejuvenation of Jaojoby’s prominence in the local music scene. Since releasing the first of seven solo albums in 1992, Jaojoby’s local and international following has continued to grow. He is Madgascar’s most beloved performer and recording artist.

Razia Said

Claudine Robert Zafinera (also known as Dina) embodies a combination of the south and north of Madagascar. Her father is originally from the south west and her mother from the northeast; her own unique style of salegy combines her culture with infectious grooves. Dina married Jaojoby in 1988 and has been singing along with him ever since. In 2008 she created her own band: Saramba, formed mainly by women. The music of Saramba is based on Malagasy traditional music, the very characteristic powerful voice of Dina accentuate her lyrics about the urgent call for the Malagasy people to pay attention to women’s issues.

7. NIYAZ featuring Azam Ali

Date: Sunday, July 22, 2012
Time:  8pm
Venue: Drom (85 Avenue A, NY, NY 10009, 212- 777-1157)
Ticket: $25
Genre: electronic Middle Eastern Classical music

A journey to the heart of the unmistakable voice of Azam Ali, the refined acoustic/ electronic instrumentation of Loga Ramin Torkian, and the cutting-edge electronic artistry of two-time Grammy nominee producer-remixer Carmen Rizzo. NIYAZ defines the best in contemporary world music by effortlessly marrying rich Sufi mystical poetry and folk songs from the Middle East, masterful acoustic intrumentation, with modern electronics. Based in Montreal, NIYAZ is considered by critics to be one of the most groundbreaking groups of its time. Since the release of their debut successful album in 2005, Niyaz have performed in many prominent festivals and concerts around the world. As individual artists as well as collectively they have also contributed to some of the biggest soundtracks of major Hollywood films.