Monthly Archives: November 2011

Music listings – 11/28 through 12/4

1. Red Baraat w. Gato Loco, My Pet Dragon

Date: Monday, November 28, 2011
Time: 8pm
Venue: BROOKLYN BOWL (61 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211, 718-963-3369)
Ticket: $5
Genre: Bhangara/New Orleans Jazz

In just over two short years, the pioneering Brooklyn dhol and brass party juggernaut RED BARAAT have become known as one of the best live bands playing anywhere. Led by dhol player Sunny Jain, the nine piece (comprised of dhol ((double-sided barrel shaped North Indian drum slung over one shoulder)) drumset, percussion, sousaphone, and 5 horns melds the infectious North Indian rhythm Bhangra with a host of sounds, namely funk, go-go, latin, and jazz.

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Remembering Paul Motian: Larry Blumenfeld talks about Paul Motian

Yesterday, we learned that drummer, bandleader, and composer Paul Motian had died. Yesterday writer Larry Blumenfeld talked about Paul Motian today on John Schaefer’s “Soundcheck” on WNYC-FM. Available streaming of the radio show:
http://www.wnyc.org/shows/soundcheck/2011/nov/23/remembering-paul-motian/

 

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Musician in NY Feature: Hendrik Meurkens “My mission is simple…I want to create music of great beauty.”

Text by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi

Caricature by Felix Wagner of the old, old Samba Jazz Group back in Berlin in the late 80s, with Felix Wagner, piano; Guilherme Castro, bass: and Zito Ferreira, drums.

Today I would like to introduce you to Hendrik Meurkens who is from my hometown Hamburg, Germany but now based in New York. I met him in spring at MICHIKO STUDIOS’ when I was the studio manager there. Because we had a cat in the studio and Meurkens was allergic to cats, I  always gave him the “cat free” studio upstairs.

Meurkens was first a two-mallet player in the tradition of Milt Jackson and Bobby Hutcherson, but when he heard Toots Thielemans’ harmonica, he changed to this instrument which he taught himself. He’s also a composer whose compositions have been recorded by other artists and featured in the Hollywood movie “Dolores Claiborne”.

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Special women around us: Meditations on Meshell Ndegeocello

Text by by Dawoud Kringle

Last night (as if this writing, on November 17th, 2011), I attended a performance by Meshell Ndegeocello at Highline Ballroom in New York City. If memory serves me, this is the fifth time I have heard her live. The group played mostly music from her newest release Weather. Meshell almost never plays her old catalog. The night’s exception was when she offered a ballad – like reworking of her classic “Shooting Up and Getting High.”

 

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