Al-Madar at The Stone in NYC on Friday, October 5, 2012

Text by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi

Unfortunately I missed the AL-MADAR show at The Stone on Friday, October 5, 2012 because I was still in Tokyo. As you might remember AL-MADAR  was opening up for my band SoSalA at  at the CD release party at Nublu in March. Since that show the band has went through member changes. Al-Madar became  a new 5-piece instrumental band of the New York Arabic Orchestra, fronted by Bassam Saba of Lebanon , a renowned figure of Arabic music and director of the New York Arabic Orchestra.  performing on the oud, saz, nay, and western flute and violin, in collaboration with Arabic percussionist and drummer April Centrone, joined by guitarist Gyan Riley, Timba Harris on violin/viola and trumpet, who’s also a member of one of my favorite bands the Secret Chiefs 3, and the versatile electric bassist Brian Holtz.

Bassam Saba and his NY Arabic Orchestra has been featured in DooBeeDoo a couple of times for the last two years. I’m actually surprised that Saba joined this ensemble because usually, as far as I know him, he wouldn’t play at small clubs like the STONE. Guess his young members convinced him to join and be the leading part of this ensemble.

Watching and listening to the videos this ensemble plays a mix of Arabic music to Afro Beat and progressive rock. What is missing is a human voice which would express an important element of Arabic music: melancholy.

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Tokyo Report P.5: my only encounter with live music in Tokyo – Andy Bevan & STEWMAHN

Text by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi

It took me 42 days in Tokyo to meet Andy Bevan, an Australian Jazz musician who’s been living and playing music in Tokyo for a long, long, long time. I heard about him through a NY music colleague who’s a friend of him. During the 42 days I missed two gigs of him, but finally on the 42nd day I had the time to go to his show at the Saravah Tokyo club in Shibuya. To get to the club I took the subway, the Ginza line, from Asakusa to Shibuya, crossed the famous intersection in Shibuya and walked a couple of blocks north towards the Bunka Mura. However it took me some time to find the club. Even the Google map couldn’t help me out?! I had to use my inspiration and feeling to find the club.

When I was at the door of the club a sign told me that Andy was playing with Masaki Hayashi ‘s STEWMAHN: Masaki Hayashi on piano, who’s also the leader, Toru Nishijima on bass and violin, Akira Horikoshi on drums and my brother Andy Bevan on soprano and tenor sax, didgeridoo and various flutes.

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Watch Live: Democracy Now! Expands the Presidential Debate with Responses From Third Party Candidates in Real Time!

While President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney face-off in a much anticipated foreign policy debate at Lynn University in Boca Raton, FL, Democracy Now! breaks the sound barrier by hosting an expanded live debate between two additional presidential candidates: Jill Stein of the Green Party and Rocky Anderson of the Justice Party. Stein and Anderson will get a chance to answer the same the questions put to Obama and Romney in real time.

The special show will begin at 8:30 p.m. EDT with a 30-minute pre-debate discussion. At 9 p.m., we’ll broadcast the Obama/Romney debate live, that is, until we “pause” it after the first question to get answers from Stein and Anderson. Our broadcast will continue until midnight EDT they have had a chance to answer all of the same questions. (An invitation was extended to Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party, but his campaign declined.)

Watch live streaming video from democracynow at livestream.com

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Documentary Film: Captain Beefheart…one of my music heroes!

Text by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi

During my stay in Tokyo I loved to watch YouTube videos before going to bed. By chance I found this one and felt that some of my readers might be interested in this great musician who passed away two years ago. I heard the first time about Captain Beafheart when I was in Japan maybe around 1976. A friend of mine had a cassette of a Frank Zappa live recording featuring Captain Beafheart on vocals. This album is still one of my favorite one.

A little information about the Captain

Don Van Vliet, born Don Glen Vliet, January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter, artist and poet widely known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians called The Magic Band, active between 1965 and 1982, with whom he recorded 13 studio albums. Noted for his powerful singing voice with its wide range, Van Vliet also played the harmonica, saxophone and numerous other wind instruments. His music blended rock, blues and psychedelia with avant-garde and contemporary experimental composition. Beefheart was also known for exercising an almost dictatorial control over his supporting musicians, and for often constructing myths about his life. Read more about him here.

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Music listings – 10/22 through 10/28

1. JC Sanford Orchestra

Date: Monday, July 16, 2012
Time: 9pm
Venue: ShapeShifter Lab (18 Whitwell Pl, between Carroll St & 1st St, Brooklyn, NY 11215, 646-820-9452)
Ticket: $10
Genre: jazz

Trombonist/composer/conductor JC Sanford is a musician of rare breadth, deeply rooted in the traditions of Jazz and Classical music, yet constantly pushing at their boundaries. His collaboration with fellow composer David Schumacher and their jazz orchestra Sound Assembly yielded the CD Edge of the Mind, which received many accolades including CD Baby’s Top 10 Jazz Records of 2009. JC also conducts the twice-Grammy-nominated John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble, the Alan Ferber Nonet with Strings, and the Alice Coltrane Orchestra featuring Ravi Coltrane and Jack DeJohnette. His large ensemble compositions push the limits of what is “expected” in a specific musical setting without totally abandoning the tradition of the genre, sounding adventurouswhile remaining “accessible.” This iteration of his ever-evolving ensemble features his unique blend of modern jazz and chamber music, employing several colors rarely seen in the traditional “big band” instrumentation including orchestral strings, vibraphone, F horn, double-reeds, and accordion.

JC Sanford – composer, conductor, trombone

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