Ejigayehu “Gigi” Shibabaw, or Gigi as she is popularly known, is one of the most successful contemporary Ethiopian singers worldwide. Coming from an ancient tradition of song originating in the Ethiopian Church, she has brought the music of Ethiopia to wider appreciation and developed it in combination with a wide variety of styles.
More about Gigi
This is the trailer of the upcoming Bollywood film My Name Is Khan based on a true story of one man’s (played by one of Newsweek’s 50 most powerful people in the world, Shahrukh Khan) journey across America post 9/11. Directed by Karan Johar and starring Shahrukh Khan and Kajol.
Robert Palmer (photo by Cherie Nutting)
Text by Jim Hoey
On November 16, 2009, musicians, family, friends, and fans of the late Robert Palmer gathered at Le Poisson Rouge in NYC to celebrate the music writer’s legacy. Robert Palmer (not to be confused with Robert Palmer of “Simply Irresistible” fame) was one of the first rock music critics for The New York Times, author of Deep Blues (an examination of the roots of the blues), and an accomplished flute, clarinet and sax player who could sit in with The Rolling Stones, Ornette Coleman, and the Master Musicians of Jajouka.
When: Sunday, January 31 at 8:00 PM
Where: The Living Theater, 21 Clinton Street (between Stanton and Houston Streets)
Price: $6
Organized by Dorothy Friedman August and special reading by Judith Malina.
Text by Tanja Laden
Based on a 2001 symposium at the Getty Research Institute, Harry Smith: The Avant-Garde in the American Vernacular surveys the artist’s influence on American film, music, and the visual arts.
Featuring color reproductions of Smith’s images, as well as essays by scholars, friends, and colleagues, the book explores the life of the 20th-century Renaissance man best known for his definitive Anthology of American Folk Music — a six-record compilation of commercial songs from 1926-1932 that helped facilitate the folk revival of the ’60s. The multifaceted mystic also achieved cult-hero status in the world of cinema for his experimental films, and received critical praise for his rare, freeform abstract paintings.
Please join for a party in support of the health, wellness, and recovery of DBDBD’s good friend Fabian Alsultany on Saturday January 30th, 2010 at: (Le) Poisson Rouge 158 Bleeker Street New York, New York 10012 (212) 228-4854. Tickets: $12 (advance/door) 11PM -4 AM
The organizers are also raising funds in Fabian’s name for “Doctors Without Borders” to generate funds towards their relief efforts in Haiti.
Live performances by: Hassan Hakmoun & Zahar, Falu, Basya Schechter (Pharaoh’s Daughter), Luqmon Brown (Funkface), Malika Zarra and Haale.
Dafnis Prieto Drummer / Composer
His arrival in the U.S. has been compared by to that of an asteroid hitting New York. Indeed, within a short period of time Dafnis Prieto’s revolutionary drumming techniques had a powerful impact on both the Latin and jazz music scene, locally and internationally. Having studied at the school of Fine Arts in Santa Clara as a youngster and later at the National School of Music in Havana, Prieto obtained a thorough classical education while broadening his knowledge of Afro-Cuban music, jazz and world music outside of the academy.
He first toured Europe with pianists Carlos Maza and Ramon Valle and the groundbreaking group “Columna B.” A resident of New York since only 1999, he has already played in bands led by Henry Threadgill, Steve Coleman, Eddie Palmieri, Chico and Arturo O’Farrill, Dave Samuels & The Caribbean Jazz Project, Jane Bunnett, D.D. Jackson, Edward Simon, Michel Camilo, Chucho Valdez, Claudia Acuña, Roy Hargrove, Don Byron, and Andrew Hill, among others.
As a composer , he has created music for dance, film, chamber ensembles, and most notably for his own bands, ranging from duets to his “Small Big Band” and including the distinctively different groups featured on his three acclaimed recordings as a leader, “About The Monks,” Dafnis Prieto “Absolute Quintet” and Dafnis Prieto Sextet “Taking the Soul for a Walk”. He has received new works commissions, grants, and fellowships from Chamber Music America, Jazz at Lincoln Center, East Carolina University, and Meet the Composer. Various awards include “Up & Coming Musician of the Year” by the Jazz Journalists Association in 2006, a Grammy Award Nomination for ”Absolute Quintet” as Best Latin Jazz Album, and a Latin Grammy Nomination for “Best New Artist” in 2007. He also composed the Title track for the Grammy Winner Album “Song for Chico” by Arturo O’Farril and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra in 2008.
Bachir Attar & The Master Musicians of Jajouka (photo by Cherie Nutting)
"Hadj"Abdesalam Attar, Ornette Coleman & Robert Palmer 1973 (photo by Joel Rubiner)
In this video, Malim Ali El Attar, one of the oldest residents of Jajouka, comes to visit Bachir Attar, the current leader of The Master Musicians of Jajouka. Malim Ali is in his nineties and played on both Brian Jones Presents The Pipes of Pan at Jajouka (1971) and Ornette Coleman’s “Midnight Sunrise,” a collaboration between the Master Musicians and Mr. Coleman recorded in 1973. Against his will, Malim Ali’s image has been used over the last two years to support a band billing themselves as the “Master Musicians of Joujouka,” a group of wedding musicians from a neighboring village managed by an Irishman. Exploiting a confusion in transliteration that allowed Brian Jones’ recording to be initially released using the name “Joujouka,” these wedding musicians managed by a foreigner attempt to compete with the genuine article, The Master Musicians of Jajouka, often capitalizing on or taking credit for the accomplishments of Mr. Attar’s group. As this video proves, the “Joujouka” group also falsely use people like Malim Ali to sow dissension in the village and to prop up their unsubstantiated claims to authenticity. For more information on Mr. Attar’s band and its history, see www.jajouka.com.
Testing the Limits of Collaboration - painting by Nicky Nodjoumi
Text by Jason Reza Jorjani
On August 15, 2009, in Tehran, Mir Hossein Mousavi announced the formation of The Green Path of Hope, which includes Mehdi Karroubi and Mohammad Khatami among its leadership council. Read More
TriBeCastan's John Kruth & Jeff Greene (photo by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi)
Rock Paper Scissors, Inc. and the oligarchy of TriBeCaStan hosted a reception for APAP presenters and booking agents and DBDBD were invited. The TriBeCaStani cultural attaché made available his personal 5 Star Cave for the event and served a lavish spread of complimentary food and drink. This was one of those once in a lifetime events where the locale, vibe, and company are just right. Displaying the indigenous cultural splendor of TriBeCaStan was the TriBeCaStani Folklorkestra.
When: January 8, 2010/ 5:30 – 7:30+