On the show tonight, you either heard or missed the following
Aditya Verna- Sarod- Traditional Music from India
Raga Fhinjhoti (fast teentaal)
Aditya Verma is a charismatic sarod player based in Canada and India. A disciple of legendary sitar player Pandit Ravi Shankar and renowned sarod master Ustad Aashish Khan, Verma has also trained under Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, India's leading exponent of the instrument. Verma grew up in Montreal and started playing the tabla at an early age under the guidance of his father, Dr. Narendra Verma, and Ustad Zakir Hussain. From 1987, he has lived in India studying Hindustani classical music and specializing in the sarod. In recent years, Verma has won the admiration of audiences across North America, Europe and India with electrifying performances that reveal his emotional aesthetics and virtuosity. Besides playing concerts on stage, television and radio, Verma also gives lecture demonstrations, teaches and composes music of different styles for recordings and film. He is the recipient of numerous awards.
Yasmin Levy- Live
Marcel Khalife- CD Caress
Marcel Khalifé was born in 1950 in Amchit, Mount-Lebanon. He studied the oud (the Arabic lute) at the Beirut National conservatory, and, ever since, has been injecting a new life into the oud.
From 1970 to 1975, Marcel Khalifé taught at the conservatory and other local institutions. During that same period, he toured the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and the United States giving solo performances on the oud.
Oud playing was traditionally constrained by the strict techniques that governed its playing. Highly talented and skillful musicians such as Marcel Khalifé were, however, able to free the instrument from those constraints and thus greatly expanding its possibilities.
In 1972, Marcel Khalifé created a musical group in his native village with the goal of reviving its musical heritage and the Arabic chorale. The first performances took place in Lebanon. 1976 saw the birth of Al Mayadeen Ensemble. Enriched by the previous ensemble’s musical experiences, Al Mayadeen’s notoriety went well beyond Lebanon. Accompanied by his musical ensemble, Marcel Khalifé began a lifelong far-reaching musical journey, performing in Arab countries, Europe, the United States, Canada, South America, Australia, and Japan.
Marcel Khalifé has been invited several times to festivals of international fame such as: Baalbeck, Beit Eddine (Lebanon), Carthage, El Hammamat (Tunisia), Timgad (Algeria), Jarash (Jordan), Arles (France), Krems, Linz (Austria), Bremen (Germany), ReOrient (Sweden), Pavia (Italy), World Music Festival in San Francisco, New York, Cleveland (the USA).
He has performed in such prestigious halls as the "Palace of Arts" in Montreal, "Symphony Space" and "Merkin Concert" in New York, "Berklee Theatre" and "New England Conservatory" in Boston, "Royal Festival Hall", and "Queen Elizabeth Hall" in London,"UNESCO Palace" of Beirut, Cairo Opera House (Egypt), "Reciprocity","House of the Cultures of the World" and "UNESCO Hall" in Paris, "Central Dionysia" in Rome, "Yerba Buena" in San Francisco,"Sõdra Teatern" in Stokholm.
Since 1974, Marcel Khalifé has been composing music for dance which gave rise to a new genre of dance, the popular Eastern ballet (Caracalla, Sarab Ensemble, Rimah, Popular Art Ensemble)
Marcel Khalifé has also been composing soundracks for film, documentary and fiction, produced by Maroun Baghdadi and Oussama Mouhamad among others.
Marcel Khalifé has also composed several purely instrumental works like The Symphony of Return, Chants of the East, Concerto Al Andalus "Suite for Oud and Orchestra" "Mouda'aba" (Caress), Diwan Al Oud, "Jadal" Oud duo, Oud Quartet, "Al Samaa" in the traditional Arabic forms andTaqasim, duo for oud and double bass.
Marcel Khalifé’s compositions has been performed by several orchestras, notably the Kiev Symphony Orchestra, the Academy of Boulogne Billancourt Orchestra, The San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of the city of Tunis, and the "Absolute Ensemble".
Since 1982, Marcel Khalifé has been writing books on musicthat reflect his avant garde compositions and the maturity of his experience.
His challenges, however, are not only musical in character. Interpreter of music and oud performer, he is also a composer who is deeply attached to the text on which he relies. In his association with great contemporary Arab poets, particularly Palestinian poet par excellence, Mahmoud Darwish, he seeks to renew the character of the Arabic song, to break its stereotypes, and to advance the culture of the society that surrounds it.
His lyrical recordings adds up to about 20 albums, the likes Promises of the storm, Ahmad Al Arabi, Weddings, Peace Be With you, Ode To A Homeland, Arabic Coffeepot, The Children and Body(Al Jassad,) to name a few.
On his journey, Marcel Khalifé invents and creates original music, a novel world of sounds, freed of all pre-established rules. This language elevates him to the level of an ambassador of his own culture and to the vanguard of Near Eastern music in search of innovators.
I do not use the West to get to the West,” said Marcel Khalife about his album Caress/Mouda’aba
“If the new world order gives me the culture of MacDonalds and Pepsi Cola, I question that. Those things disappear after a short while. What we are doing is a project that will take years and years.”
Khalife’s mission began before Israel seized his cassettes upon invading his country, Lebanon, in 1982. “Since I was born,” he says, “I’ve felt I had a rebel’s soul within me. I rejected things that might be inherited, but that were wrong.” Born into a Christian family, Khalife—who plays the oud, an Arabic lute, has always been a voice of reconciliation, peace, and hope. During Lebanon’s civil war, he risked his life performing in bombed out concert halls, bringing his music and the great poetry of the Arab world to his war-ravished country.
At the same time, Khalife has been stretching the boundaries of his instrument and Arabic music. Oud playing was traditionally constrained by the strict techniques that governed its playing. Skillful musicians like Khalife have freed the instrument from those constraints greatly expanding its possiblities. About his latest CD and tour, Khalife says, “This work attempts to elevate Arabic music to a level that allows it to express profound human emotions, not by mere performance, but by empowering the music to mature and develop into a universal language of expression.
Khalife’s musical career has consistently been marked by two traits. The first is a multi-faceted, category-defying approach to music itself. “My grandfather was a fisherman and he used to sing songs of the sea,” Khalife recalls. “Then I used to go to church and listen to Christian music, and also to Islamic recitations of the Koran. In Lebanon we have a marriage of Islamic and Christian culture. That really helped to form my musical awareness.” Khalife always drew from diverse musical sources and composed in a variety of settings from oud duos to full orchestras.
His composition is noted for being deeply attached to lyrical text. Through his association with great contemporary Arab poets, most notably Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, he seeks to renew the character of Arab song, breaking its stereotypes and advancing the culture of the society that surrounds it. Millions in the Arab World recognize Khalife as a cultural icon.
“I do not fit in a cultural box, nor do I want to,” says Khalife, who now lives in Paris. “I have strived all my life to break free of old traditional constraints, to let music speak for itself unshackled by predetermined traditional rules. I have defied identities and categorizations, which only serve to blind us to the vastness and complexity of humanity. There are no set lenses with which I should be looked at. My music, it all comes together for the sake of humanity.”
The second trait has been a consistent message of peace and justice. And this continues today, setting the tone for this Fall’s tour. “More than ever, we all have to work much harder for peace,” says Khalife. “Peace cannot be imposed upon a people by a certain political power or agenda. Peace is achieved through respect, understanding of others and their culture; it is achieved by giving up fear of others; it is achieved through dialogue.”
Marcel Khalife will be performing with Al Mayadine Ensemble, a group that he founded in 1976. Al Mayadine has the double-meaning of “village-square” and “battlefield.” Khalife is joined on the tour by his long time premiere vocalist Oumaima Khalil, who has been performing with Khalife since she was 12 years old. Al Mayadine Ensemble also features Yolla Keryakos as second vocalist, Rami Khalife on piano, Peter Herbert on double bass and Bachar Khalife on percussion (riq, tabla, mazhar, vibraphone, congas, bongos).
Adapted courtesy RockPaperScissors - http://www.rockpaperscissors.biz/index.cfm/fuseaction/current.press_release/project_id/185.cfmMarisa Monte
Fuji Dub- Fuji Orisa (Triple Earth remix)
Fuji -- Ferocious Urban Jungle Intensity -- a music named (so the story goes) by it's first master, Alhaji Dr. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, when he saw a postcard of Mount Fuji in an airport transit lounge and felt it graphically represented the essaential peace lying at the heart of the music. 'Were' -- a music expressing Islamic faith that helps act as a wake-up call to morning prayer for Yoruba Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan. The roots of 'Fuji'.
'Fuji Dub' -- Five tracks from a Fuji master recorded in Brooklyn, U.S. remixed in Brixton, U.K.
The idea behind this was that I was fed up with all the various dance albums which used African or Arabic samples as a bit of exotic fluff on the top of a purely conventional (and boring) four-on-the-floor dance beat. Why not do it the other way round? Use an African music as the meat beat and studio dub techniques as the exotic bit. Nice idea in theory - not so easy in practice. Not least of which is that Fuji music (heavy duty Nigerian urban percussion) races along, whereas reggae gently lopes. Oh well, fun to do and has achieved cult status in certain quarters.
And who is the artist who wishes to remain anonymous? Simple - he even gets a name check within the first 30 seconds of the first song. He was fine for the remixing to be done, he was just concerned that it might confuse his audience as it's remixes of existing releases so him remaining anonymous was part of the deal. -- Iain Scott
Rhythm & Sound- No Partial
Marisa Monte- CD Infinito Particular- Track Infinito Particular
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Touring soon..PANDIT DEBI PRASAD CHATTERJEE
SANGEET AUSTRALIA PRESENTS
THE MEHFIL SERIES
ACOUSTIC AND INSPIRATIONAL
CLASSICAL NORTH INDIAN MUSIC
IN A TRADITIONAL SETTING
VISITING SITAR VIRTUOSO
PANDIT DEBI PRASAD CHATTERJEE
WITH MAHARSHI RAVAL ON TABLA
A CHANCE TO ENGAGE CLOSELY WITH THE SCINTILLATING SOUNDS OF HINDUSTANI MUSIC WITH A REVERED AND EXPERIENCED ARTIST OF THIS TRADITION. SEE DEBI PRASADJI'S BIO BELOW.
2:30PM
SUNDAY MAY 13TH
$22/18 CON. TICKETS AT THE DOOR
COME EARLY TO AVOID DISSAPOINTMENT
THE DICKSON SPACE
35-39 DICKSON ST
NEWTOWN
ON-STREET PARKING
BY BUS 422 OR NEWTOWN TRAIN STATION (5-10MIN)
ENTER DICKSON ST FROM KING ST.
DISABLED ACCESS AVAIL. FAMILY DSCOUNTS AVAIL.
ALL WELCOME.
SNACKS AVAILABLE
PERFORMANCE APPROX 2 HOURS WITH INTERVAL.
I BELIEVE IT MAY BE POSSIBLE THAT THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ARRANGE MASTER CLASSES WITH DEBI PRASADJI DURING HIS SHORT VISIT TO SYDNEY ON HIS EAST COAST TOUR.
CONTACT FOR MORE INFO 0416 352 900.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
PANDIT DEBI PRASAD CHATTERJEE
(TO AVOID CONFUSION - NO RELATION TO OUR APRIL GUEST PURBAYAN CHATTERJEE BUT RELATED TO THE GREAT TABLA PLAYER ANINDO CHATTERJEE!)
PANDIT DEBI PRASAD CHATTERJEE, A SENIOR ARTIST, IS A DISTINGUISHED NAME AMONGST INDIAN MUSICIANS AS AN OUTSTANDING SITARIST AND A HIGHLY REGARDED TEACHER OF INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC. HE IS WIDELY RESPECTED FOR HIS DEVOTION TO HIS MUSIC. HIS CONTROL OVER THE RAGAS WITH SYSTEMATIC EXPLORATION HAS PLACED HIM AMONGST THE TOP INSTRUMENTALISTS OF HIS ERA.
BORN IN KOLKATA INTO A FAMILY OF RICH CULTURAL AND MUSICAL HERITAGE THAT HAS PRODUCED MUSICIANS LIKE PT. ANINDO CHATTERJEE (TABLA), HE DEVELOPED A DISTINCT AND UNIQUE STYLE OF HIS OWN BY RECEIVING EXTENSIVE TRAINING FROM VARIOUS MAESTROS. HE TOOK HIS FIRST LESSONS FROM ELDER BROTHER PT. BISWANATH CHATTERJEE AND FROM PT. APARESH CHATTERJEE, ANOTHER NOTED SITAR EXPONENT.
STARTING IN 1965 HE RECEIVED TRAINING FROM THE GREAT NIKHIL BANNERJEE OVER THE NEXT 20 YEARS ALSO TRAINING EXTENSIVELY UNDER SMT. ANNAPURNA DEVI. IN 1986 HE BECAME A DISCIPLE OF WORLD FAMOUS MAESTRO USTAD ALI AKBAR KHAN.
PT CHATTERJEE BELONGS TO THE SENIA MAIHAR GHARANA AND DRAWS INSPIRATION FROM THE PLAYING STYLE OF NIKHIL BANNERJEE.
FOR MANY YEARS HE HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY PERFORMING IN MAJOR CONCERTS ALL OVER INDIA AND ABROAD INCLUDING THE DOVER LANE MUSIC CONFERENCE, RADIO SANGEET SAMMELAN, SADARANG MUSIC CONFERENCE, TANSEN MUSIC CONFERENCE, BISHYA BANGA SAMMELAN, NORTH AMERICA BENGALI CONFERENCE, NATIONAL PROGRAMME OF MUSIC AT ALL INDIA RADIO AND DOORDASHAN ETC..
PANDITJI HAS PLAYED IN NUMEROUS CONCERTS ACROSS USA, CANADA, UK, GERMANY, SWITZERLAND, HOLLAND, ITALY, FRANCE, AUSTRIA, ICELAND, IRELAND, LUXEMBOURG ETC.. HE HAS ALSO PERFORMED IN NUMEROUS INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS.
HE HAS RECEIVED MANY AWARDS AND ACCOLADES FOR HIS CONTRIBUTION TO MUSIC AND BETWEEN 1977-2001 WAS A PROFESSOR AT THE RABINDRA BHARATI UNIVERSITY, KOLKATA AND FROM 1994-2001 WAS THE HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT OF INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC AND PERCUSSION. HE HAS ALSO CONDUCTED NUMEROUS WORKSHOPS AND DEMONSTRATIONS ON HINDUSTANI MUSIC AND ITS TECHNIQUES AT UNIVERSITIES AND INSTITUTIONS BOTH IN INDIA AND INTERNATIONALLY.
WE ARE VERY PLEASED TO HAVE THE BENEFIT OF HIS KNOWLEDGE AND VAST EXPERIENCE IN SYDNEY.
MAHARSHI RAVAL
WE ARE ALSO VERY PLEASED TO WELCOME MAHARSHI RAVAL, AN EXPERIENCED TABLIYA RELATIVELY NEW TO SYDNEY WHO PROMISES TO BECOME A FORMIDABLE PRESENCE IN AUSTRALIAN MUSIC. HE HAS TOURED EUROPE, ACCOMPANIED MANY ARTISTS IN THE SAPTAK (OCTAVE) FESTIVALS, PERFORMED WITH THE FAMOUS VOCALIST AJAY POHANKAR AND SO ON. COME AND SEE THIS EXCITING NEW TALENT.
COMING IN JUNE:
THE GREAT VOCALIST
SHRUTI SADOLIKAR!
MORE INFO TO FOLLOW
Dear Patrons,
Thank you for joining the Sangeet Australia Mailing list. If you have recently joined this is our monthly mail-out to inform you of our forth-coming events. Please forward to friends who may be interested.
Firstly, thank you to all of those who attended the concert and discussion sesssions with visiting Purbayan Chatterjee and Bobby Singh. We also thank the ABC Radio National for recording the concert and I will be informing you all by email of the broadcast dates as soon as I have them. If you couldn't make it you will have a chance to listen.
Our thanks also to Assad Abdi at The SideTrack Theatre who has been so helpful and supportive and we hope The SideTrack Performance Group had every success with their recent production of 'Seven Pirates' at The Parramatta Riverside Theatre.
Once again, it is through the hard work, generous support and thoughtfulness of our volunteers that our event was possible. Special thanks to Venkat and Melinda Narayanan who have regularly helped and after the May mehfil will, unfortunately, be moving away. Your help and presence over the years has been much appreciated.
If you would like to assist us, either with skills and resources that you may have, or, with a gift of your time we would love to speak with you. Please contact me via this email address.
As some of you may know we are currently in a process of intense development as we are re-structuring our organisation for better sustainability and more fruitful out-comes for all involved. We welcome feed-back, suggestions, requests and offers of advice or mentoring during the arduous task of formalising our infrastructure.
Warmest regards,
Pavane Oliveiro
Director
Sangeet Australia:
Supporting Hindustani Music
www.sangeetaustralia.org
THE MEHFIL SERIES
ACOUSTIC AND INSPIRATIONAL
CLASSICAL NORTH INDIAN MUSIC
IN A TRADITIONAL SETTING
VISITING SITAR VIRTUOSO
PANDIT DEBI PRASAD CHATTERJEE
WITH MAHARSHI RAVAL ON TABLA
A CHANCE TO ENGAGE CLOSELY WITH THE SCINTILLATING SOUNDS OF HINDUSTANI MUSIC WITH A REVERED AND EXPERIENCED ARTIST OF THIS TRADITION. SEE DEBI PRASADJI'S BIO BELOW.
2:30PM
SUNDAY MAY 13TH
$22/18 CON. TICKETS AT THE DOOR
COME EARLY TO AVOID DISSAPOINTMENT
THE DICKSON SPACE
35-39 DICKSON ST
NEWTOWN
ON-STREET PARKING
BY BUS 422 OR NEWTOWN TRAIN STATION (5-10MIN)
ENTER DICKSON ST FROM KING ST.
DISABLED ACCESS AVAIL. FAMILY DSCOUNTS AVAIL.
ALL WELCOME.
SNACKS AVAILABLE
PERFORMANCE APPROX 2 HOURS WITH INTERVAL.
I BELIEVE IT MAY BE POSSIBLE THAT THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ARRANGE MASTER CLASSES WITH DEBI PRASADJI DURING HIS SHORT VISIT TO SYDNEY ON HIS EAST COAST TOUR.
CONTACT FOR MORE INFO 0416 352 900.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
PANDIT DEBI PRASAD CHATTERJEE
(TO AVOID CONFUSION - NO RELATION TO OUR APRIL GUEST PURBAYAN CHATTERJEE BUT RELATED TO THE GREAT TABLA PLAYER ANINDO CHATTERJEE!)
PANDIT DEBI PRASAD CHATTERJEE, A SENIOR ARTIST, IS A DISTINGUISHED NAME AMONGST INDIAN MUSICIANS AS AN OUTSTANDING SITARIST AND A HIGHLY REGARDED TEACHER OF INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC. HE IS WIDELY RESPECTED FOR HIS DEVOTION TO HIS MUSIC. HIS CONTROL OVER THE RAGAS WITH SYSTEMATIC EXPLORATION HAS PLACED HIM AMONGST THE TOP INSTRUMENTALISTS OF HIS ERA.
BORN IN KOLKATA INTO A FAMILY OF RICH CULTURAL AND MUSICAL HERITAGE THAT HAS PRODUCED MUSICIANS LIKE PT. ANINDO CHATTERJEE (TABLA), HE DEVELOPED A DISTINCT AND UNIQUE STYLE OF HIS OWN BY RECEIVING EXTENSIVE TRAINING FROM VARIOUS MAESTROS. HE TOOK HIS FIRST LESSONS FROM ELDER BROTHER PT. BISWANATH CHATTERJEE AND FROM PT. APARESH CHATTERJEE, ANOTHER NOTED SITAR EXPONENT.
STARTING IN 1965 HE RECEIVED TRAINING FROM THE GREAT NIKHIL BANNERJEE OVER THE NEXT 20 YEARS ALSO TRAINING EXTENSIVELY UNDER SMT. ANNAPURNA DEVI. IN 1986 HE BECAME A DISCIPLE OF WORLD FAMOUS MAESTRO USTAD ALI AKBAR KHAN.
PT CHATTERJEE BELONGS TO THE SENIA MAIHAR GHARANA AND DRAWS INSPIRATION FROM THE PLAYING STYLE OF NIKHIL BANNERJEE.
FOR MANY YEARS HE HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY PERFORMING IN MAJOR CONCERTS ALL OVER INDIA AND ABROAD INCLUDING THE DOVER LANE MUSIC CONFERENCE, RADIO SANGEET SAMMELAN, SADARANG MUSIC CONFERENCE, TANSEN MUSIC CONFERENCE, BISHYA BANGA SAMMELAN, NORTH AMERICA BENGALI CONFERENCE, NATIONAL PROGRAMME OF MUSIC AT ALL INDIA RADIO AND DOORDASHAN ETC..
PANDITJI HAS PLAYED IN NUMEROUS CONCERTS ACROSS USA, CANADA, UK, GERMANY, SWITZERLAND, HOLLAND, ITALY, FRANCE, AUSTRIA, ICELAND, IRELAND, LUXEMBOURG ETC.. HE HAS ALSO PERFORMED IN NUMEROUS INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS.
HE HAS RECEIVED MANY AWARDS AND ACCOLADES FOR HIS CONTRIBUTION TO MUSIC AND BETWEEN 1977-2001 WAS A PROFESSOR AT THE RABINDRA BHARATI UNIVERSITY, KOLKATA AND FROM 1994-2001 WAS THE HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT OF INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC AND PERCUSSION. HE HAS ALSO CONDUCTED NUMEROUS WORKSHOPS AND DEMONSTRATIONS ON HINDUSTANI MUSIC AND ITS TECHNIQUES AT UNIVERSITIES AND INSTITUTIONS BOTH IN INDIA AND INTERNATIONALLY.
WE ARE VERY PLEASED TO HAVE THE BENEFIT OF HIS KNOWLEDGE AND VAST EXPERIENCE IN SYDNEY.
MAHARSHI RAVAL
WE ARE ALSO VERY PLEASED TO WELCOME MAHARSHI RAVAL, AN EXPERIENCED TABLIYA RELATIVELY NEW TO SYDNEY WHO PROMISES TO BECOME A FORMIDABLE PRESENCE IN AUSTRALIAN MUSIC. HE HAS TOURED EUROPE, ACCOMPANIED MANY ARTISTS IN THE SAPTAK (OCTAVE) FESTIVALS, PERFORMED WITH THE FAMOUS VOCALIST AJAY POHANKAR AND SO ON. COME AND SEE THIS EXCITING NEW TALENT.
COMING IN JUNE:
THE GREAT VOCALIST
SHRUTI SADOLIKAR!
MORE INFO TO FOLLOW
Dear Patrons,
Thank you for joining the Sangeet Australia Mailing list. If you have recently joined this is our monthly mail-out to inform you of our forth-coming events. Please forward to friends who may be interested.
Firstly, thank you to all of those who attended the concert and discussion sesssions with visiting Purbayan Chatterjee and Bobby Singh. We also thank the ABC Radio National for recording the concert and I will be informing you all by email of the broadcast dates as soon as I have them. If you couldn't make it you will have a chance to listen.
Our thanks also to Assad Abdi at The SideTrack Theatre who has been so helpful and supportive and we hope The SideTrack Performance Group had every success with their recent production of 'Seven Pirates' at The Parramatta Riverside Theatre.
Once again, it is through the hard work, generous support and thoughtfulness of our volunteers that our event was possible. Special thanks to Venkat and Melinda Narayanan who have regularly helped and after the May mehfil will, unfortunately, be moving away. Your help and presence over the years has been much appreciated.
If you would like to assist us, either with skills and resources that you may have, or, with a gift of your time we would love to speak with you. Please contact me via this email address.
As some of you may know we are currently in a process of intense development as we are re-structuring our organisation for better sustainability and more fruitful out-comes for all involved. We welcome feed-back, suggestions, requests and offers of advice or mentoring during the arduous task of formalising our infrastructure.
Warmest regards,
Pavane Oliveiro
Director
Sangeet Australia:
Supporting Hindustani Music
www.sangeetaustralia.org
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Powerspot 18 April 2007
On tonight's show you either heard or you missed the following:
Ja Joosh (My Country) w/Rich Medina & Afrostreet- National Geographic GeoReMixes (www.calabashmusic.com)
John Brown's Body- Head & Heart / Full Control - CD Pressure Points (www.calabashmusic.com)
Nitin Sawhney- Beyond Skin- CD Beyond Skin (www.nitinsawhney.com)
Ojos De Brujo- Feedback remixed by Nitin Sawhney- National Geographic GeoReMixes (www.calabashmusic.com)
Bombay Dub Orchestra- Feel (Thievery Corporation Remix) CD Eden Global Chillout (www.calabashmusic.com)
Niyaz- In The Shadow of Life- CD Eden Global Chillout (www.calabashmusic.com)
Kim Sanders- Tanzara / Gidemem Raza Ben- CD Trance'n' Dancin (http://www.netspace.com.au/~kimsanders)
Jon Hassell- Open Secret- CD Maarifa Street (Happy 70th birthday Jon Hassell)
Amjad Ali Khan- Live - Ballarat Victoria
Ghazal- Eternity- CD The Rain
Ja Joosh (My Country) w/Rich Medina & Afrostreet- National Geographic GeoReMixes (www.calabashmusic.com)
John Brown's Body- Head & Heart / Full Control - CD Pressure Points (www.calabashmusic.com)
Nitin Sawhney- Beyond Skin- CD Beyond Skin (www.nitinsawhney.com)
Ojos De Brujo- Feedback remixed by Nitin Sawhney- National Geographic GeoReMixes (www.calabashmusic.com)
Bombay Dub Orchestra- Feel (Thievery Corporation Remix) CD Eden Global Chillout (www.calabashmusic.com)
Niyaz- In The Shadow of Life- CD Eden Global Chillout (www.calabashmusic.com)
Kim Sanders- Tanzara / Gidemem Raza Ben- CD Trance'n' Dancin (http://www.netspace.com.au/~kimsanders)
Jon Hassell- Open Secret- CD Maarifa Street (Happy 70th birthday Jon Hassell)
Amjad Ali Khan- Live - Ballarat Victoria
Ghazal- Eternity- CD The Rain
Kim Sanders gig news May 5 2007
KIM SANDERS & FRIENDS first Sydney appearance with drummer Toby Hall
Following the band’s rapturously received performance at Peats Ridge Festival in December, Kim Sanders & Friends will perform for the first time in Sydney with drummer Toby Hall at Paddington Uniting Church on May 5.
The gig will include ethereal Sufi meditations, Bulgarian Gypsy grooves, bent Congolese pulsations, strange hypnotic originals and tunes of Middle-Eastern appearance.
“It was great playing with Toby at Peats”, says Kim. “ I love rhythms and drumming, and we have three drummers who rotate in the group now. Bobby Singh brings the subtlety and complexity of Indian Classical music, Peter Kennard is a superb colourist and a master of the frame drum, and now Toby takes the music to different places again with drum kit. He is a great improviser”
World Music veteran Kim Sanders has studied with Sufi ney-masters in Turkey, played with Gypsy wedding-bands in Macedonia, in mosquito-infested nightclubs in Gambia, seedy tavernas in Greece, concert-halls and recording studios in Turkey, China and Indonesia, not to mention Rooty Hill RSL. Saxophonist Sandy Evans, bassist Steve Elphick and drummer Toby Hall have built on their jazz roots to become three of Australia’s leading World Music exponents. Their strong improvisations have made their names familiar worldwide.
Kim Sanders: Ney (Sufi flute), kaval (Bulgarian wooden flute), Bulgarian and Turkish gaidas (bagpipes), aardvark, tenor sax
Sandy Evans: soprano, tenor sax
Steve Elphick: bass
Toby Hall: drums
8 pm, Saturday 5 May
Paddington Uniting Church
395 Oxford St, Paddington (Paddington Markets site)
Tickets on the door: $18/15 conc
For photos, interviews and other info: kimzgaida@hotmail.com
http://www.netspace.com.au/~kimsanders
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Andy Palacio & Fat Boy Slim
Fatboy Slim meets Andy Palacio & Garifuna Collective
Electronic beats combine with Afro-Caribbean soul as the British dance music star
visits Belize to record with local Garifuna musicians
April 11, 2007 –British dance music superstar Fatboy Slim visited Belize in early April to participate in a unique recording session that brought together European club grooves with the soulful rhythms and melodies of the local Afro-Caribbean Garifuna community.
Fatboy Slim, whose real name is Norman Cook, is a world-famous DJ whose records have sold millions of copies and whose award-winning music videos have set new standards for the medium. Andy Palacio is a Belizean musician who was born and raised in a small coastal village and whose critically acclaimed new album Wátina was recorded in a rustic thatch shack on the beach.
The unlikely pairing took place on the picturesque resort island of San Pedro, Belize during the last week of March. The musical experiments were inspired by Fatboy Slim’s fascination with Garifuna music. The Garifuna are a unique Central American culture that brings together elements of West African traditions with Indigenous Caribbean heritage. Their language reflects influences from West African and Caribbean Arawak languages. Garifuna music has a deeply African flavor and is played with traditional turtle shell percussion, gourd rattles and wooden drums, as well as contemporary instruments.
“We arrived here with no real songs, no real ideas. I came here with a CD with beats and bass sounds from England and about half an idea of what to do and over the last four days we've hung out with the local musicians, listened to what they do, tried to match the two and see what happens,” Fatboy Slim said of the sessions.
Working in the Mata Grande Recording Studio just north of San Pedro village, Fatboy Slim recorded members of the Garifuna Collective jamming on traditional Garifuna drums. Backup singers Cella Torres and Deseree Arana also provided vocals in the unique local style. Meanwhile, Andy Palacio wrote and sang a song for the sessions, and local spoken-word poet and dancehall singer the Grandmaster also made a guest appearance. Belizean music producer Ivan Duran of Stonetree Records was on hand to help with the interaction between technology and tradition.
The sessions resulted in three tracks that will be released by Fatboy Slim on his next album, possibly under another pseudonym, The Mighty Dub Katz. Fatboy Slim has also offered to remix some tracks from Andy Palacio & the Garifuna Collective album Wátina, which was released recently by Cumbancha and has been receiving critical accolades around the world.
For more information on Andy Palacio & the Garifuna Collective, please visit http://www.cumbancha.com/.
Electronic beats combine with Afro-Caribbean soul as the British dance music star
visits Belize to record with local Garifuna musicians
April 11, 2007 –British dance music superstar Fatboy Slim visited Belize in early April to participate in a unique recording session that brought together European club grooves with the soulful rhythms and melodies of the local Afro-Caribbean Garifuna community.
Fatboy Slim, whose real name is Norman Cook, is a world-famous DJ whose records have sold millions of copies and whose award-winning music videos have set new standards for the medium. Andy Palacio is a Belizean musician who was born and raised in a small coastal village and whose critically acclaimed new album Wátina was recorded in a rustic thatch shack on the beach.
The unlikely pairing took place on the picturesque resort island of San Pedro, Belize during the last week of March. The musical experiments were inspired by Fatboy Slim’s fascination with Garifuna music. The Garifuna are a unique Central American culture that brings together elements of West African traditions with Indigenous Caribbean heritage. Their language reflects influences from West African and Caribbean Arawak languages. Garifuna music has a deeply African flavor and is played with traditional turtle shell percussion, gourd rattles and wooden drums, as well as contemporary instruments.
“We arrived here with no real songs, no real ideas. I came here with a CD with beats and bass sounds from England and about half an idea of what to do and over the last four days we've hung out with the local musicians, listened to what they do, tried to match the two and see what happens,” Fatboy Slim said of the sessions.
Working in the Mata Grande Recording Studio just north of San Pedro village, Fatboy Slim recorded members of the Garifuna Collective jamming on traditional Garifuna drums. Backup singers Cella Torres and Deseree Arana also provided vocals in the unique local style. Meanwhile, Andy Palacio wrote and sang a song for the sessions, and local spoken-word poet and dancehall singer the Grandmaster also made a guest appearance. Belizean music producer Ivan Duran of Stonetree Records was on hand to help with the interaction between technology and tradition.
The sessions resulted in three tracks that will be released by Fatboy Slim on his next album, possibly under another pseudonym, The Mighty Dub Katz. Fatboy Slim has also offered to remix some tracks from Andy Palacio & the Garifuna Collective album Wátina, which was released recently by Cumbancha and has been receiving critical accolades around the world.
For more information on Andy Palacio & the Garifuna Collective, please visit http://www.cumbancha.com/.
Happy Birthday Jon Hassell
Echoes celebrates the 70th birthday of the great fourth world fusion trumpeter by dedicating a program to his music. Listen to it here. And happy birthday Jon. We love what you do.
We've just posted the audio of our 70th Birthday tribute to Jon Hassell on our myspace site @ www.myspace.com/echoesspaceJON HASSELL: A 70th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONAn unsung hero of techno-tribal music enters his 8th decade still blowingTrumpeter Jon Hassell's music roots go back to Karlheinz Stockhausen, Lamonte Young's Theatre of Eternal Music and playing on the first recording of Terry Riley's In C. He created the sound of Techno-Tribal music that was brought to popularity in collaborations with Brian Eno, and his distinctive trumpet sound has been adopted by musicians like Mark Isham. We look back on a musician who is still pushing the sonic envelope as he celebrated his 70th birthday on March 22 featuring interviews with Hassell, Brian Eno, Steve Roach, Robert Rich and Jeff Rona.Hear it on www.myspace.com/echoesspace
We've just posted the audio of our 70th Birthday tribute to Jon Hassell on our myspace site @ www.myspace.com/echoesspaceJON HASSELL: A 70th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONAn unsung hero of techno-tribal music enters his 8th decade still blowingTrumpeter Jon Hassell's music roots go back to Karlheinz Stockhausen, Lamonte Young's Theatre of Eternal Music and playing on the first recording of Terry Riley's In C. He created the sound of Techno-Tribal music that was brought to popularity in collaborations with Brian Eno, and his distinctive trumpet sound has been adopted by musicians like Mark Isham. We look back on a musician who is still pushing the sonic envelope as he celebrated his 70th birthday on March 22 featuring interviews with Hassell, Brian Eno, Steve Roach, Robert Rich and Jeff Rona.Hear it on www.myspace.com/echoesspace
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Happy birthday to the The Necks
From Lloyd Swanton..
On Thursday 9th April, 1987 we gave our first public performance as The
Necks, to about 120 people at the Old Darlington School, Sydney University,
Australia. At that point, we had no idea that we'd end up touring the world,
and releasing albums world-wide to such acclaim.
Thank you to everyone everywhere who has come to our concerts, bought our
records, told us what our music means to them, presented us, worked with us,
played us on radio, interviewed us, reviewed us, written about us, put us up
in their homes, in fact supported us in any way over the last 20 years. It's
been an immense pleasure and we plan to be around for a lot longer yet.
All the best,
Chris Abrahams, Tony Buck, Lloyd Swanton - The Necks
www.thenecks.com
Playlist 11 April 2007
Hi All
You either heard or missed the following on tonight's show.
Quite a few tracks from the World Circuit double disc World Circuit Presents, a disc which came out last year to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the label. Mostly African and Cuban content,this is none the less a fantastic collection of tracks from a label which has recorded some of the most influential world music artists in the last two decades eg Afro Cuban All Stars, Ali Farka Toure, Buena Vista Social Club, Toumani Diabate and so much more.
One of the best releases in the last few months has been the third release by the group Tinariwen from Mali. This group of desert dwellers has a sound that is raw and honest, bluesy and in its own way very original. There are a lot of Algerian and Moroccan rhythms influences here but at its' heart is music which sings about the love of the desert and its people. I had been aware of them but had never really listened until this disc turned up. I'll definitely be following up on the other two releases. 10/10
From the Tinariwen press release...
The Tinariwen story is already well marinated in startling myths; fierce nomadic desert tribesmen toting guns and guitars, Ghadaffi's poet-soldiers spreading their gospel of freedom throughout the world, turbaned rock'n'roll troubadours, Stratocaster on one shoulder, Kalashnikov on the other, 17 bullet wounds and rawest desert blues on earth. All this fabulous imagery is the modern equivalent of the legends that have always stuck to Tinariwen's people, the nomadic Touareg of the southern Sahara; the noble desert warrior, the blue man, the lord of the desert, mysterious, secretive, covered from head to toe with eyes only bared to the world.
Like all myths, like all legends, there's plenty of truth mixed in there with the wild fantasy and wishful thinking. But the real story is deeper, richer, more engrossing, and more universal. In the desert oasis of Tamanrasset, southern Algeria, three aimless teenage friends in exile – Ibrahim Ag Alhabib, Hassan Ag Touhami aka 'The Lion of the Desert' and Inteyeden - fall in love with the guitar, and with all the dreams of modernity and freedom that it embodies. They write songs about their own lives and about those of their friends, the modern Touareg youth, no longer lording over the desert on their camels, but living the clandestino life far from home, surviving by any means necessary, longing for friends and family, dreaming of retribution, of freedom, of self-determination. They are Kel Tinariwen, the 'desert boys'.
In the 1980s, all three become soldier-musicians, lured into military camps in Libya by Colonel Ghadaffi. Their songs become the soundtrack of a time and of a movement; the ishumar, the Sahara desert's Generation X. They fight a brief, painful rebellion against the government of Mali. They accept peace. They become full-time musicians and meet LoJo, a group of musical adventurers from Angers in France. They stage the first Festival in the Desert, visit Europe for the first time, release two albums including the award winning 'Amassakoul' and tour the world. This whole epic story takes 28 years to unfold.
And now the third album, 'Aman Iman: Water Is Life'. No difficulties here, apart from the 1,200-mile journey from their desert home in Kidal, north-eastern Mali, to the recording studio in the capital Bamako. Tinariwen simply delved into their seemingly inexhaustible trove of songs and dusted down 12 classics, which they worked up with the help of live sound engineer Jaja, producer Justin Adams (Robert Plant's guitarist and producer of the first Tinariwen CD 'Radio Tisdas Sessions') and recording engineer Ben Findlay. It only took ten days at Bogolan studios to nail them down and freeze frame the raw power and tenderness of modern desert blues at its best.
The whole Tinariwen story breathes through those twelve songs, beginning with the first Touareg rebellion of 1963, which lies at the root of so much pain and trauma in the Malian Touareg mindset and which is vividly recalled by Ibrahim in his brooding song 'Soixante Trois'. There are songs like the raw driving 'Cler Achel' or the banshee wailing 'Assouf', about exile and homesickness, longing and loss. There are calls for unity amongst the fractious Touareg clans, like the uplifting anthemic 'Matadjem Yinmixan' or the dubbed up 'Toumast'. There are 'Ahimana' and 'Awa Didjen', the loping ghostly trance-songs of Japonais, a poet of genius who hasn't worked with Tinariwen since 2002. And there are simple songs of love, both romantic love, as in 'Ikyadarh Dim', and that abiding love of their desert home which underpins everything about Tinariwen and finds haunting expression in 'Izarharh Tenere'.
So forget the myths, forget the 'guns-and-guitars' fantasies and tales of blue-men on their camels. The humanity, the wonder and the epic sweep of the real Tinariwen story doesn't need any photoshopping or romantic embellishments. It is the raw tale of an everyman, who was cut off from history and embraced the modern world, who lost his home and found solace in the guitar, who through pain and exile invented a new style of music that could express who he is and where he's going. Nothing mythical or exotic about that. You can find the same story the world over.
Tinariwen would like to dedicate 'Aman Iman' to "Peace, tolerance and development in the Sahara and in the world of the oppressed."
Backspin is a compilation of popular tracks remixed by some of the artists on Six Degrees Records. it's all about paying respect to the past by reinterpreting it, with an eye towards the future sound of the label. Lovely stuff. I don't like all of it but there's enough there to make me think it's a good addition to the label inventory.
From Six Degrees media release...
Six Degrees Records has spent the last ten years crossing musical borders. And to celebrate that milestone, the label looks ahead to the future by looking back, with a collection of surprising and distinctive covers: Backspin, a Six Degrees 10 Year Anniversary Project. Backspin features a dozen artists from the label's eclectic global roster, each presenting a new spin on an old favorite. Songs by Led Zeppelin, The Police, The Cure, and Pink Floyd, among others, are re-imagined by Six Degrees stalwarts including Karsh Kale, MIDIval PunditZ, Banco de Gaia, Ojos de Brujo, and more.
CHEIK LO- BOUL DI TAGAL- CD WORLD CIRCUIT PRESENTS
A PALACIO- WATINA- CD WATINA
TINARIWEN- CLER ACHEL- CD AMAN IMAN (WATER IS LIFE)
TINARIWEN- IMIDIWAN WINAKALIN- CD AMAN IMAN (WATER IS LIFE)
TINARIWEN- IKYADARH DIM- CD AMAN IMAN (WATER IS LIFE)
BELLEMOU MESSAOUD- RIRE ZARGA QUANA- *CD WORLD CIRCUIT PRESENTS
OMARA PORTUONDO- FLOR DE AMOR- *CD WORLD CIRCUIT PRESENTS
ORLANDO CACHAITO LOPEZ- TUMBANGA- *CD WORLD CIRCUIT PRESENTS
SIERRA MAESTRO= JUANA PENA - *CD WORLD CIRCUIT PRESENTS
TOUMANI DIABATE & SYMMETRIC ORCHESTRA- TAPHA NIANG- *CD WORLD CIRCUIT PRESENTS
A PALACIO- BABA- CD WATINA
AFRO CUBAN ALL STARS- AMOR VERDADORE- CD WORLD CIRCUIT PRESENTS
TINARIWEN- IZARHARH TENERE- CD AMAN IMAN (WATER IS LIFE)
TINARIWEN- MATADJEM YINMIXAN- CD AMAN IMAN (WATER IS LIFE)
RACHID TAHA LIVE - ROCK THE CASBAH / YA RAYAH
BOMBAY DUB ORCHESTRA- GET CARTER REMIX- CD BACKSPIN (SIX DEGREES RECORDS)
OJOS DE BRUJO- GET UP STAND UP REMIX- CD BACKSPIN (SIX DEGREES RECORDS
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Purbayan Chatterjee performance 13-14 April 07
Sangeet Australia
Supporting Hindustani Music
presents
Internationally Renowned Sitar Virtuoso
Purbayan Chatterjee
Experience one of India’s most brilliant new musical stars
in the style of the great Pandit Nikhil Bannerjee.
with Bobby Singh on Tabla
…The notes flowed from Chatterjee’s sitar like a cascading waterfall…
Hindustani Times, Kolkata.
Fri. 13th April 8pm - Concert.
Sat. 14th April 2pm - Afternoon Raga and discussion.
A rare opportunity to meet the artist.
Sidetrack Theatre. Addison Road Centre. 142 Addison Rd Marrickville.
Free On-Site Carpark! Bus route 428 stops at entrance to the Centre.
Snacks available from 7:30pm. Assisted disabled access available.
Tickets at the door $25/$20con. Come early to avoid disappointment.
Special Sitar Pass for both 13th and 14th April $40/30con.
Family discounts available. Contact: 0416 352 900 www.sangeetaustralia.org
One of the year’s biggest Hindustani Music highlights!
Purbayan Chatterjee in concert.
A regular at major music festivals in India, USA and Europe, Purbayan has quickly established himself as one of India’s leading sitar players. In the company of the young Purbayan, many discover the magic of Pandit Nikhil Bannerjee. Breath taking virtuosity and emotional intensity are the hallmarks of his not to be missed performances. His performance in January this year with Zakir Hussain at the Kala Mandir in Kolkata in memory of the two greatest sitar players Nikhil Bannerjee and Vilayat Khan met with rave reviews. Purbayan began his musical training at the age of 4 from his father Shri Parthapratim Chatterjee a disciple of Pt. Nikhil Bannerjee and Ustad. Ali Akbar Khan. A versatile musician he is also involved in many highly successful collaborations with diverse musical forms. Purbayan has released many highly acclaimed recordings.
One of Australia’s finest tabla players, Bobby Singh is, again, accompanying Purbayan during his current tour of Australia, appearing at WOMAD, Adelaide. Bobby’s diverse musical experience and collaborations have made him a festival favourite and has brought him recognition around the country. He started learning tabla from an early age and later studied under the tutelage of internationally renowned tabla maestro Aneesh Pradhan.
About Sangeet Australia: Formed in 2004 we are an artist-run grass-roots organisation focused on fostering greater understanding and appreciation of this classical tradition of music from India. We produce a monthly series of high-quality acoustic soirees and various other activities, including larger concerts and workshops, supporting both local and international musicians.
To contact us regarding financial sponsorship, volunteering, offers of in-kind support, media enquiries, to join our mailing list, bookings or for more information call m. 0416352900 or email: pavane_oliveiro@yahoo.com.au
www.sangeetaustralia.org
Supporting Hindustani Music
presents
Internationally Renowned Sitar Virtuoso
Purbayan Chatterjee
Experience one of India’s most brilliant new musical stars
in the style of the great Pandit Nikhil Bannerjee.
with Bobby Singh on Tabla
…The notes flowed from Chatterjee’s sitar like a cascading waterfall…
Hindustani Times, Kolkata.
Fri. 13th April 8pm - Concert.
Sat. 14th April 2pm - Afternoon Raga and discussion.
A rare opportunity to meet the artist.
Sidetrack Theatre. Addison Road Centre. 142 Addison Rd Marrickville.
Free On-Site Carpark! Bus route 428 stops at entrance to the Centre.
Snacks available from 7:30pm. Assisted disabled access available.
Tickets at the door $25/$20con. Come early to avoid disappointment.
Special Sitar Pass for both 13th and 14th April $40/30con.
Family discounts available. Contact: 0416 352 900 www.sangeetaustralia.org
One of the year’s biggest Hindustani Music highlights!
Purbayan Chatterjee in concert.
A regular at major music festivals in India, USA and Europe, Purbayan has quickly established himself as one of India’s leading sitar players. In the company of the young Purbayan, many discover the magic of Pandit Nikhil Bannerjee. Breath taking virtuosity and emotional intensity are the hallmarks of his not to be missed performances. His performance in January this year with Zakir Hussain at the Kala Mandir in Kolkata in memory of the two greatest sitar players Nikhil Bannerjee and Vilayat Khan met with rave reviews. Purbayan began his musical training at the age of 4 from his father Shri Parthapratim Chatterjee a disciple of Pt. Nikhil Bannerjee and Ustad. Ali Akbar Khan. A versatile musician he is also involved in many highly successful collaborations with diverse musical forms. Purbayan has released many highly acclaimed recordings.
One of Australia’s finest tabla players, Bobby Singh is, again, accompanying Purbayan during his current tour of Australia, appearing at WOMAD, Adelaide. Bobby’s diverse musical experience and collaborations have made him a festival favourite and has brought him recognition around the country. He started learning tabla from an early age and later studied under the tutelage of internationally renowned tabla maestro Aneesh Pradhan.
About Sangeet Australia: Formed in 2004 we are an artist-run grass-roots organisation focused on fostering greater understanding and appreciation of this classical tradition of music from India. We produce a monthly series of high-quality acoustic soirees and various other activities, including larger concerts and workshops, supporting both local and international musicians.
To contact us regarding financial sponsorship, volunteering, offers of in-kind support, media enquiries, to join our mailing list, bookings or for more information call m. 0416352900 or email: pavane_oliveiro@yahoo.com.au
www.sangeetaustralia.org
Die Grosse Stille- a review of the film
Die Grosse Stille, a film by German director Philip Groning, looks at life in a monastery, the Grande Chartreuse which is the mother house of the legendary Carthusian Order, based in the French Alps. It’s been shot over a period of 4 months and again over a period of seasons. The monks within the abbey have all taken a vow of silence as a means of serving their god. As such we never really get to know any of the converts in an intimate way as Groning himself takes the view of a silent observer.
During the course of this rather long film, clocking in at about 2 hours 46 minutes, we see the monks engaged in a cycle of silence, repetition and rhythm. Silence leads to a new heightened level of hearing in new ways, repetition creates insight, the monks create their own sense of rhythm on a daily basis through these repetitive actions. What is the concept of time like for someone who will never see the outside world again once they enter the walls of the abbey?
What we do get to see and experience though is a very stark and austere monastic lifestyle, one that most people will never really see or experience in their own lives.
The monk's lives are filled with long hours of prayers and contemplation, mostly in solitude in their cells where the sacred chant is repeated 7 times throughout the course of the day or working in various functions in order to maintain the day-to-day running of the abbey. After all, Food has to be cooked, clothes and shoes need to be mended or made, garden need to be tended.
Everything is dictated by the sound of a bell. The monks do not sleep a full night either. Instead they are allowed to sleep for a period of three hours, then spend two hours chanting or in turn reading the holy scriptures in the great hall of the abbey, and then are allowed to sleep again for three hours.
When you view the monks at work or at prayer you realize that everything is done with great care and dedication. Here nothing is wasted. When the monks die, clothes are recycled, pulled apart and reconstructed over and over for the new converts.
Groning approached the abbey 16 years ago with an idea about a film, but was only granted permission to go ahead with the 4 years ago. One wonders why? Is it possibly that the numbers are falling and this might be seen as a way to maybe boost the numbers? Who knows as we never really find out. Considering the order has been in existence for over a thousand years I doubt it. With this film, the only conditions imposed on Groning by the Grand Priory were that no artificial light, no music and no commentaries were to be offered.
The order recoginises that a life of solitude and silence can take its toll on the convert's state of mental wellbeing, so once a week on Sundays allows all a period of time to get together and speak only amongst themselves. What emerged for me was that these monks had a good sense of humor and a deep dedication to their cause.
This film is not going to be for everyone. It is slow and clocks in at 2 hours 46 minutes. This is not Baraka or Koyanisqatsi, there is no soundtrack by Phillip Glass. Patience and an open mind and heart are required with this project. Personally I found it very engaging though not life changing. This is a unique look at the lives of men who have in ways rejected modern society and gone back to a simpler monastic lifestyle in order to find themselves. Groning in a recent interview in the NY Times said that he “didn’t want to shoot a film that informs people about a monastery, but a film that transforms into a monastery. The film should become a monastery.” We may never again see into this unique way of life such.
During the course of this rather long film, clocking in at about 2 hours 46 minutes, we see the monks engaged in a cycle of silence, repetition and rhythm. Silence leads to a new heightened level of hearing in new ways, repetition creates insight, the monks create their own sense of rhythm on a daily basis through these repetitive actions. What is the concept of time like for someone who will never see the outside world again once they enter the walls of the abbey?
What we do get to see and experience though is a very stark and austere monastic lifestyle, one that most people will never really see or experience in their own lives.
The monk's lives are filled with long hours of prayers and contemplation, mostly in solitude in their cells where the sacred chant is repeated 7 times throughout the course of the day or working in various functions in order to maintain the day-to-day running of the abbey. After all, Food has to be cooked, clothes and shoes need to be mended or made, garden need to be tended.
Everything is dictated by the sound of a bell. The monks do not sleep a full night either. Instead they are allowed to sleep for a period of three hours, then spend two hours chanting or in turn reading the holy scriptures in the great hall of the abbey, and then are allowed to sleep again for three hours.
When you view the monks at work or at prayer you realize that everything is done with great care and dedication. Here nothing is wasted. When the monks die, clothes are recycled, pulled apart and reconstructed over and over for the new converts.
Groning approached the abbey 16 years ago with an idea about a film, but was only granted permission to go ahead with the 4 years ago. One wonders why? Is it possibly that the numbers are falling and this might be seen as a way to maybe boost the numbers? Who knows as we never really find out. Considering the order has been in existence for over a thousand years I doubt it. With this film, the only conditions imposed on Groning by the Grand Priory were that no artificial light, no music and no commentaries were to be offered.
The order recoginises that a life of solitude and silence can take its toll on the convert's state of mental wellbeing, so once a week on Sundays allows all a period of time to get together and speak only amongst themselves. What emerged for me was that these monks had a good sense of humor and a deep dedication to their cause.
This film is not going to be for everyone. It is slow and clocks in at 2 hours 46 minutes. This is not Baraka or Koyanisqatsi, there is no soundtrack by Phillip Glass. Patience and an open mind and heart are required with this project. Personally I found it very engaging though not life changing. This is a unique look at the lives of men who have in ways rejected modern society and gone back to a simpler monastic lifestyle in order to find themselves. Groning in a recent interview in the NY Times said that he “didn’t want to shoot a film that informs people about a monastery, but a film that transforms into a monastery. The film should become a monastery.” We may never again see into this unique way of life such.
POWERSPOT PLAYLIST 4 APRIL 07
Tinariwen- CD Aman Iman (Water is Life)Filter Music 22
-Cler Achel / Mano Dayak / Ikyardah Dim
Racheal Cogan & Tony Lewis- CD Transience - Orpheus Music OM602 www.orpheusmusic.com.au
-Sufi Ilahi / Two Averi
Satsuki Odamura- CD Koto Dreaming- Orpheus Music OM701
www.orpheusmusic.com.au
- Makura
Kim Sanders with Peter Kennard- CD Trance'n'Dancin http://kimsanders.customer.netspace.net.au/
-Saba Taksim
-Saba Sez Semaisi
Kim Sanders & Friends- CD You Can't get There From Here
http://kimsanders.customer.netspace.net.au/
- Segah Saz Semai
Nadya's 101 Candles Orkestra- CD Crazy Moon
www.nadya.com.au
- Dis-Moi
- Mieux Que Parfait
Vulgargrad- CD Popular Street Songs of the Russian Underclass
- Why Did The Aborigines Eat Captain Cook?
- Vaninsky Port
Anthony Garcia- CD Malili Dreaming
www,anthonygarcia.com.au
- Malili Dreaming
Zulya & The Children of The Underground- CD 3 Nights
www.zulya.com.au
- How Lovers Fail & Fall
- The Wolf & The Moon
Eleni Karaindrou- CD Music for Films ECM 1429
- Farewell Theme
- Elegy for Rosa
- Fairytale
-Cler Achel / Mano Dayak / Ikyardah Dim
Racheal Cogan & Tony Lewis- CD Transience - Orpheus Music OM602 www.orpheusmusic.com.au
-Sufi Ilahi / Two Averi
Satsuki Odamura- CD Koto Dreaming- Orpheus Music OM701
www.orpheusmusic.com.au
- Makura
Kim Sanders with Peter Kennard- CD Trance'n'Dancin http://kimsanders.customer.netspace.net.au/
-Saba Taksim
-Saba Sez Semaisi
Kim Sanders & Friends- CD You Can't get There From Here
http://kimsanders.customer.netspace.net.au/
- Segah Saz Semai
Nadya's 101 Candles Orkestra- CD Crazy Moon
www.nadya.com.au
- Dis-Moi
- Mieux Que Parfait
Vulgargrad- CD Popular Street Songs of the Russian Underclass
- Why Did The Aborigines Eat Captain Cook?
- Vaninsky Port
Anthony Garcia- CD Malili Dreaming
www,anthonygarcia.com.au
- Malili Dreaming
Zulya & The Children of The Underground- CD 3 Nights
www.zulya.com.au
- How Lovers Fail & Fall
- The Wolf & The Moon
Eleni Karaindrou- CD Music for Films ECM 1429
- Farewell Theme
- Elegy for Rosa
- Fairytale
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