NOTES AGAINST TRUMP’S TRAVEL BAN: A musical response from the 7 Countries
A concert by Aswat Ensemble and Guest Performers showcasing the music of the Seven Countries listed on January 27th’s Executive Order
“These artists put on a stirring performance.” -BBC
“Presenting music from Libya, Yemen, Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Iraq, the concert serves dual roles as ambassadorial outreach and as a healing salve.” -Gabe Meline, KQED
Internationally renowned performers from each of the seven countries listed in the January 27 travel ban will perform music from their homeland, assisted by the Aswat Ensemble. Reverend Michael Yoshi will reflect briefly on the executive order that interned the Japanese (including his parents) during WWII and the current ban against Muslims.
This special evening will start with Basma Edrees, a Juliard graduate who will play violin and sing a Muslim prayer of Supplication and will feature: Sudanese vocalist Salma Al Assal, Michael (Mohammed) Nejad, an Iranian musician who plays 45 instruments, Jalal Takesh, performing on Qanun (Arabic autoharp), Persian singer & Setar player Abolhassan Mokhtabad, and many others. Iman Hassen, a Somali American will be reading Somali poetry about the immigrant experience. Two pieces of music from each of the seven countries that are part of the Jan 27 travel ban will be performed. The songs may be religious, secular or folk, but in every case will showcase the most-loved, most-typical music from each country the music that makes people think of home. Translations of each song will be projected on a screen for the audience.
Music is a microcosm of a culture: it is the element that accompanies most rituals and rites. Its rhythmic structures are the pulse, its tonal/melodic structures are the soul, and its poetry is the language of the heart and mind. We are convinced that once one has experienced the artistic richness of another culture, they are much less likely to dehumanize them by seeing them through media-propagated stereotypes. -Nabila Mango, Aswat Ensemble Director
The Aswat (meaning voices in Arabic) Ensemble uses bowed and stringed instruments along with percussion; such as the violin, oud, qanun, tar and other drums. The performers include Iranian, Arab and American musicians.
Here is a video from Sudanese singer, Salma Al Aasal
Music From Seven Muslim-Majority Countries in ‘Notes Against the Ban’
Folk Singer-Songwriter Doubleheader
He wrote the Top Five hit Coming Out of Hiding, and other hits such as I Dont Want To Talk About It, Plenty of Reason, All I Ever Wantedand Make It Tonight; scored the Emmy Award Winning CATHY Specials for CBS-TV, the Cable Ace Award Winning Tom Par’s HBO Special, and the Award Winning Tom Parks Diabetes Documentary. He has produced CDs for Mike Pinder (of the Moody Blues) Nicolette Larson, Peter Tork, and many others.
James Lee has shared the stage with everyone from Bonnie Raitt to Robin Williams, Dionne Warwick to Steven Wright, Art Garfunkel to Robin Trower; sometimes spending as much as 300 days a year on the road.
He also spent five and a half years on the TV Show, Star Trek Deep Space Nine, as various aliens including the singing Klingon!
Wishing and Bone is Tom Wishing and Noam “Bone” Cohen. They have been playing together since the late 70s in a variety of bands and projects. The music they make is a combination of blues, folk, Americana, country, and original songs. Tom’s forte is finger style guitar, and Noam has been playing the harmonica or harp since before he could stand on his own feet. Tom also doubles on banjo and sax, & Noam on mandolin and sax. Both have been in a variety of rock, blues, country and jam bands over the years.
Hosted by the ever-congenial Merle “Ian Shoales” Kessler & intrepid musical director Joshua Raoul Brody, we present An Evening of Song. Twenty-five singers each choose a song to perform on the given theme: The Recent Unpleasantness, accompanied by the Experimental Love Orchestra.