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The following artists will be performing at the National Hispanic Cultural Center for ¡Globalquerque! 2013. Performances will take place on three stages, all located at the NHCC (1701 4th St SW, at Avenida César Chávez). Enjoy the intimate courtyard setting of the Fountain Courtyard, the state of the art 692-seat Albuquerque Journal Theatre and dance outside on the Plaza Mayor.
Grounds open at 4 PM and performances start at 6:20 PM and run until at least 11:30 pm. The Global Village will be open into the night. There will also be FREE day programming on Saturday for families and adults, including workshops on music and folklore, crafts, and live performances. Visit the Global Fiesta page for more info.
Friday, September 20:
A Moving Sound (Taiwan)
DakhaBhraka (Ukraine)
Rhythm of Rajasthan (India)
Leon Russell (U.S.A.)
Christine Salem (La Réunion)
Saturday, September 21:
A Moving Sound (Taiwan)
Kardemimmit (Finland)
Rhythm of Rajasthan (India)
Christine Salem (La Réunion)
Date TBA:
Solas (Ireland/U.S.A.)
Many more artists to be announced!
A Moving Sound (Taiwan)
Sheng Dong, or as it translates in English, A Moving Sound, is a performance company based in Taipei, Taiwan. A Moving Sound has created a new musical expression that fuses Taiwanese, Chinese and neighboring Asian musical ideas in inspired and engaging modern song compositions. Songs are performed on Chinese instruments such as the vertically held and bowed erhu and the Chinese guitar known as zhong ruan, as well as Western instruments. Transcendent vocals and dance by lead singer Mia Hsieh transport listeners to and beyond the Far East to where only the highest art can take us.
The modern world has turned its eyes towards the Far East with China exploding rapidly in its economy and culture. Musically, however, the world knows this region for either traditional music or music that, for the most part, copies western ideas. A Moving Sound has attracted international attention for opening a door to this unexplored territory with music that is both ethnic and intensely passionate and creative. Audiences have been thrilled to see this new musical art based on melodies and instruments from the Far East.
"A Moving Sound demonstrated their ability to transfix their audience with a mesmerizing integration of Chinese tradition and contemporary folk... Nothing short of visionary." (Tamara Turner, CD Baby)
A Moving Sound will also be part of our Friday kids' program.
Watch a video:
DakhaBhraka (Ukraine)
DakhaBrakha, who were formed at the avant garde DAKH Theatre for Contemporary Arts in Kiev and derive their name from the old Slavonic words for "give and take," are the foremost exponents of "ethno chaos" music, which combines the elements of order and structure inherent in traditional and folk music with the chaos of free-form experimentation and improvisation. They ground their musical experimentation in the ritualistic songs of Ukraine and other Slavic neighbors and venture into a whirlwind of explosive rhythms and sounds from Asia and Africa. Their sound is at once wildly exciting and then mesmerizing and mystical, melding soulful Ukrainian folk with the jazz and trance sounds that typify World Music. This multi-instrumental band—percussion, didgeridoo, cello, accordions—have appeared in folk, rock and world music festivals around the world to rapturous applause.
"The basis of our music are songs of our ancestors some of which have pre-historic roots. In these texts and melodies lies the identification of our nation. At the same time, we dare to experiment with art, combining our ethnic style with various instruments, rhythms and melodies of other music cultures of the world giving new sound and life to the old songs."
Watch a video:
Kardemimmit (Finland)
Kardemimmit is a Finnish folk music group formed by four young women: Maija Pokela, Jutta Rahmel, Anna Wegelius and Leeni Wegelius. They are singers and players of the kantele (the national instrument of Finland) in its 15 and 38 stringed forms. The group's repertory consists of modern folk music mostly composed by the members themselves. The music of Kardemimmit is fresh, but it's strongly foundationed in Finnish tradition from both Eastern and Western regions.
The group's roots go back to the music school Juvenalia in Espoo, southern Finland, where all of the members have studied. Kardemimmit has played together for over ten years. This long history can be heard as a unique sound in both the group's singing and playing. In 2004, the Kantele Association chose the group as the kantele group of the year and the next year it won the national kantele group contest in its league.
The group's debut album Viira was released in December 2006. The second album, Kaisla, came out in 2009. Kaisla was also re-released as a bonus disc of The Rough Guide to the Music of Scandinavia in 2012 as Introducing Kardemimmit. On their third album Autio huvila, Kardemimmit continues with their original musical style combining song and the kantele. Autio huvila was released in June 2012. The album was chosen as the Folk Music Album of the Year 2012 by the Finnish Folk Music Association.
At the moment Anna and Leeni study folk music pedagogy in the Central Ostrobothnia University of Applied Sciences, whereas Maija and Jutta study in the folk music department of the Sibelius Academy. Each studies with kantele as main instrument.
Watch a video:
Rhythm of Rajasthan (India)
The vast unending expanse of burning hot sand that makes up the Thar Desert of Rajasthan hosts one of the most vibrant and evocative music cultures of the world. The heady, spellbinding combination of rhythms and melodies sung and played by the Langas and Manganiars are part of the eternal appeal of this mysterious and wondrous land.
The Rhythm of Rajasthan (RoR) is a birth of an idea to create an exciting fusion of traditional rhythms and melodies from the state of Rajasthan. The group captures the romanticism and heroism of the north Indian desert in a visceral hypnotic performance of poetry, dance, and music. The hereditary caste musicians perform the traditional music of the Langa and Manganiar in addition to Kalbelia dance as a component in the group's colorful and stunning performance.
When the group participated in the 2nd International Sufi Music Festival in Amman, Jordan (organized by the Ministry of Culture and Jordan Music Forum), RoR's performance was so well received by the audience, that Prince El Hassan Bin Talal of Jordan honored the group in the closing ceremony of the Festival. In '09 and '11 RoR met with rave reviews on their cross-Canada and U.S. tours that included performances at the Hollywood Bowl (opening for global superstar A.R. Rahman), the Kennedy Centre (Maximum India), the 11th Chicago World Music Festival and the 5th Annual New York Gypsy Festival at the World Music Institute, and many other dynamic performances.
The Rhythms of Rajasthan have proven time and time again that their performances are exciting forays into the musical and cultural heritage of Northern India and have captivated audiences worldwide.
Watch a video:
Leon Russell (U.S.A.)
Leon Russell has been called a rock and roll Renaissance man, and indeed there is little that this Oklahoma-bred singer-pianist hasn't done. His half-century in music stretches from his teen years in Oklahoma in the late Fifties (after Leon graduated from high school, his band, the Starlighters, went on the road with Jerry Lee Lewis) to his recent inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriter's Hall of Fame. Between his solo work, contributions to high-profile albums by other artists, and screen exposure in the "Concert for Bangladesh" and "Mad Dogs & Englishmen" documentaries, Russell became a veritable superstar in the Seventies. He's also been a notable music-business entrepreneur, having founded his own studio (Skyhill) and several labels (Shelter, Paradise and Leon Russell Records), and a prolific and celebrated songwriter.
Most of all, Leon Russell has enjoyed a remarkable and lengthy career as a performing and recording artist. His all-encompassing style ranges from raucous, gospel-inflected rock to heartfelt romantic ballads. He's also cut albums of country and bluegrass music, delved into the Great American Songbook, and recorded an album of Christmas hymns. He's recognized as one of the best interpreters of Bob Dylan and even recorded with Dylan ("Watching the River Flow") in the mid-Seventies. Over the course of five decades, Russell has proven himself to be a proudly eclectic product of America's vast musical landscape. "I like all kinds of music, and I hate to do the same thing all the time," he remarked of his far-ranging muse.
Watch a video:
Christine Salem (La Réunion)
Christine Salem is one of the rare feminine voices of maloya with a strong and charismatic personality. Accompanied on a kayanm (her favorite instrument), Christine's voice seems to float as she sings in Creole, Malagasy, Comoran or Swahili, mixing with subtlety music from the Indian Ocean with African rhythms.
After almost 10 uninterrupted years on tour, Christine Salem felt like she needed to rest and to look into her roots. She undertook a work in a new vein, writing music based on the rhythms played during ceremonies dedicated to ancestors in Madagascar, in Comoros and in Reunion Island.
Called "Rasinaz," this project becomes reality through several initiatory journeys to the original lands and gave birth to Lanbousir, an album displaying the unusual maturity of this extraordinary singer.
"Globalfest's clear standout, Christine Salem... is from Réunion, a French island in the Indian Ocean, and she is a custodian and reinventor of music that was nearly assimilated into oblivion: a Réunion tradition with African roots called maloya, although Ms. Salem writes her own songs... Maloya is music for voices and percussion; Ms. Salem was backed by three percussionists and singers, and she played a kayamb, a rectangular rattle that was in constant motion in her hands. Often she would set out a tune, the percussionists would add harmonies and take up a polyrhythmic beat, and together they would bear down on the song until it took on a trancelike power. When Ms. Salem sang a slower tune, there was a clear, deep affinity with the blues. This was music informed by the past and fiery in the here and now." (Jon Pareles, New York Times)
Watch a video:
Solas is the quintessential Irish-American band recording and touring in the U.S. today. Fifteen years ago, in a manner befitting their name (Gaelic for "light"), Solas burst onto the Irish music scene and instantly became a beacon—an incandescent ensemble that found contemporary relevance in timeless traditions without ever stooping to clichés. Anchored by founding members Seamus Egan (flute, tenor banjo, mandolin, whistles, guitars, bodhran) and Winifred Horan (violins, vocals), Solas is rounded out by Mick McAuley (accordians, low whistle, concertina, vocals), Eamon McElholm (guitars, keyboards, vocals), and newest member and lead singer, Niamh Varian-Barry. Through fresh and unexpected arrangements of age-old tunes, compelling and topical originals and covers, and unparalleled musicianship, Solas continues to define the path for the Celtic music world and drive the genre forward.
With ten albums under their belt, Solas' band leader Seamus Egan was inspired by his family history to create Shamrock City—their most ambitious project to date. Shamrock City tells the story of Butte, MT, a mining town at the turn of the 20th century, as seen through the eyes of an Irish immigrant and Seamus' great-great uncle, Michael Conway. In 1910 he sailed from Cobh, Co. Cork in Ireland to Philadelphia and then made his way to Butte to work in the copper mines. Six years later, at the young age of 25, he was dead from a blow to the head. With audio recorded in Philadelphia and film footage in Butte, Shamrock City seeks to not only uncover the life and young death of Conway, but to also illuminate life as an immigrant during the Industrial Revolution.
It's no secret that Solas is often drawn to musical social commentary—"Pastures of Plenty" and "The Wind That Shakes The Barley" are core to their repertoire, and they've covered political songs by Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits and Josh Ritter. The themes in and around Shamrock City, particularly the stories and lives of immigrants, are reflected prominently in the headlines of 2013. With the Shamrock City project and current tour, Solas seeks to reach beyond the music by creating opportunities for fans to share their family histories at tour stops and online. In the process, the project aims to create a more meaningful and open dialogue about many of the issues we face in today's America. For anyone who associates Irish music solely with pubs, green beer and March, be prepared to have your mind firmly changed.
Watch a video:
