Lala Tamar & Friends, featuring Yacouba Sissoko
Lala and Yacouba will be joined by Zachi Asher on oud/guitar and Rich Stein on percussion. The ensemble explores the sounds of a caravan moving through the Sahara, shaabi grooves from Agahadir and Algiers, African strings, Arab ornamentations, music for ceremonies of healing, trances and spells of connection, poetry pulled from distant centuries. It is an unforgettable evening of friendship, love and humanity that transcend borders.
When: Saturday, December 13th 7:30-9pm (doors 7pm)
Where: The Living Room at Full Circle - 297 Bruynswick Rd. Gardiner, NY 12525
How: $35 seated/ $25 standing - Purchase tickets below.
About Lala Tamar
Lala Tamar is what happens when Moroccan soul and Brazilian beats meet on the dance floor. Singer, dancer, and gimbri player - LALA (“lady” in darija) gives North African music a fresh, feminine alchemy, ancient songs touched by the spell of gnawa trance, her grandmother’s music resurrected from the Atlas mountains. The international artist is famous on the streets of Marrakech, her videos have millions of hits, she has brought her jubilant sound to festivals and stages across six continents, and everywhere she goes, hearts and feet leave happy.
About Yacouba Sissoko
Master kora player Yacouba Sissoko devotes his musical gift to expand the awareness of West African history and culture, spread the word of peace, and empower his listeners to take charge and realize their imagined futures. His performances have a magical effect on audiences as he skillfully transforms traditional songs and stories that he learned from his forefathers into modern day messages of peace, love, and harmony.
Yacouba exposes new audiences to the enchanting sounds of the kora—a 21-stringed instrument that is plucked and produces a distinctive sound that is quickly associated with West Africa. Throughout West African history, the kora was played as a solo instrument by djelys, or storytellers, whose roles in society were to perform for kings, nobility, and village chiefs. The songs sung by djelys were stories that had been passed down from generation to generation, and captured the oral history of the people and culture of West Africa describing social life, cultural identify and family backgrounds.
About Zachi Asher
Rabbi Zachi Asher has spent more than twenty years pursuing the oud and Arabic maqam. He is an expert in the literature and music of Hebrew piyut, song-poems from the Arab Jewish communities of Syria, Iraq, Morocco, etc. As the bandleader for his Epichorus and Duo al Rouh ensembles, Asher has collaborated with masterful artists including his teacher Bassam Saba, Zafer Tawil, Alsarah, and composed four albums exploring new influences in Maqam music that honor the traditions and aesthetics of the old sound. Asher is the creative director of the Temenos Center for the Arts, a New York 501c3, and has been a vocal supporter of Palestinian liberation.