By Doug Ruffin
President,
Boston Music Coalition
I am pleased to share an important music announcement. World Music/Crasharts in Boston has released it's winter/Spring season. schedule. Please find the press alert below.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Susan Weiler
Phone: (617) 876-4275
To download high-resolution digital photos go to www.WorldMusic.org and click “PRESS CENTER.” WORLD MUSIC/CRASHarts Announces WINTER/SPRING 2012 SEASON
TICKETS ON SALE NOVEMBER 30, 10am
JANUARY
MONICA BILL BARNES~1/20–21, The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston
CŒUR DE PIRATE / Leif Vollebekk~Sat., 1/28, 9pm, Brighton Music Hall, 18+
MARK KOZELEK~Tues., 1/31, 8pm, First Church in Cambridge Congregational
FEBRUARY
ALLOY ORCHESTRA performing live to WILD AND WEIRD~Sat., 2/4, 8pm, Somerville Theatre
DAN ZANES AND FRIENDS~Sun., 2/5, 11am & 3pm, Somerville Theatre
STEPHEN PETRONIO COMPANY~2/10–12, The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston
LE VENT DU NORD~Sat., 2/11, 8pm, Somerville Theatre
NIMBAYA! Women Drum and Dance Company of Guinea~Sun., 2/12, 3pm, Sanders Theatre
YASMIN LEVY~Sun., 2/12, 8pm, Berklee Performance Center
Sharon Van ettEn / Shearwater~Thurs., 2/23, 9pm, Paradise Rock Club, 18+
SOLAS~Sat., 2/25, 8pm, Somerville Theatre
BEAUSOLEIL avec MICHAEL DOUCET / MARCIA BALL~Sun., 2/26, 7pm, Somerville Theatre
MARCH
FLAMENCO FESTIVAL 2012: Compañía Rafaela Carrasco~3/2–3, Cutler Majestic Theatre
FLAMENCO FESTIVAL 2012: Compañía Olga Pericet~Sun., 3/4, 7pm, Cutler Majestic Theatre
CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS~Sat., 3/3, 8pm, Berklee Performance Center
LILA DOWNS~Fri., 3/9, 8pm, Berklee Performance Center
ALTAN~Sat., 3/10, 8pm, Somerville Theatre
TREY McINTYRE PROJECT~3/16–18, The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston
LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO~Sat., 3/17, 8pm, Sanders Theatre
ZAKIR HUSSAIN & MASTERS OF PERCUSSION~Sun., 3/18, 7pm, Sanders Theatre
TAO: The Martial Art of Drumming~Wed., 3/21, 7:30pm, Berklee Performance Center
BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA~Fri., 3/23, 8pm, Berklee Performance Center
APRIL
PACO DE LUCÍA~Wed., 4/11, 7:30pm, The Boston Opera House
MARTIN HAYES, DENNIS CAHILL & FRIENDS~Sat., 4/14, 8pm, Somerville Theatre
THE VIEUX FARKA TOURÉ & IDAN RAICHEL QUARTET~Sun., 4/15, 7pm, Somerville Theatre
INDIA JAZZ SUITES: Pandit Chitresh Das & Jason Samuels Smith4/20–22, The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston
JOSHUA REDMAN/BRAD MEHLDAU DUO~Sat., 4/28, 8pm, Berklee Performance Center
mAY/JUNE
Colin Hay~Fri., 5/4, 8pm, Berklee Performance Center
JOHNNY CLEGG BAND~Wed., 6/27, 7:30pm, Somerville Theatre
WORLD MUSIC/CRASHarts WINTER/SPRING 2012 SEASON
BOSTON, MA – World Music/CRASHarts, the region’s premier presenter of music and dance from the far and near corners of the globe, announces its Winter/Spring 2012 season. It is a tremendously exciting season, featuring 29 concerts, 38 individual performances and 32 artistic ensembles. There are offerings in world music, contemporary dance, world dance, folk, indie, film and jazz, plus several free talks and lecture demonstrations, making it one of the most adventurous and exciting performing arts series in greater Boston. From January through June artists from India, South Africa, Japan, Mali, Ireland, Spain, Guinea, Israel, Canada and the United States will grace Boston’s stages.
World Music, Inc., was established as a nonprofit organization by Maure Aronson in 1990 to connect performing artists from cultures around the globe with audiences in greater Boston. The organization quickly became the region’s premier presenter of music and dance from other countries. In 2002, after a decade of fulfilling that purpose, World Music launched CRASHarts, a division of World Music dedicated to the presentation of innovative contemporary performing artists. The organization changed its name to World Music/CRASHarts to better reflect its synthesis into a multidimensional performing arts organization. In 2009, World Music/CRASHarts expanded its programming in yet another exciting new direction by adding an eclectic mix of indie rock, electronica, jazz and edgy international sounds. Today, World Music/CRASHarts is a leading presenter of contemporary dance and music, as well as world music and dance, presenting over 100 performances and related outreach and educational programs annually. Over the last 22 years, the organization has presented more than 1500 concerts featuring more than 800 different artists, and remains steadfastly committed to its core mission of cultural exchange.
World Music/CRASHarts opens its Winter/Spring 2012 season with the Boston debut of one of the wittiest young choreographers, Monica Bill Barnes performing the Boston premiere of Everything Is Getting Better All the Time on January 20 and 21 at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston. New York’s internationally renowned Stephen Petrionio Company performs the provocative Boston premiere of Underland on February 10–12 at The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston. Blending ballet techniques with innovative contemporary dance, Trey McIntrye Project returns with a stellar program of Boston premiere works on March 16–18 at The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston. Then, Pandit Chitresh Das and Jason Samuels Smith combine Indian classical Kathak dance and dazzling jazz tap moves in India Jazz Suites on April 20–22 at The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston.
World Music’s annual spring Flamenco Festival returns this March, after taking a year off last year, with Compañía Rafaela Carrasco and Compañía Olga Pericet. A breathtaking dancer and one of the most important flamenco choreographers of her generation, Carrasco and her company of five dancers and live musicians perform the Boston premiere of Vamos al Tiroteo on March 2 and 3 at the Cutler Majestic Theatre. One of flamenco’s most exciting new talents, Olga Pericet makes her Boston debut with two male dancers and live musicians performing the Boston premiere of Rosa, Metal y Ceniza on March 4 at the Cutler Majestic Theatre. Then on April 11, flamenco guitar legend Paco de Lucía brings his world-renowned flamenco sextet and the spectacular dancer Farruco to the Boston Opera House.
The Winter/Spring season features three great concerts by African artists. Guinea’s first all-women's percussion and dance troupe, NIMBAYA! Women Drum and Dance Company of Guinea plays Sanders Theatre on February 12. South Africa’s incomparable LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO performs March 17 at Sanders Theatre. JOHNNY CLEGG BAND, also from South Africa, closes the season on June 27 at the Somerville Theatre.
The series features two spectacular percussion concerts. The indefatigable Zakir Hussain & Masters of Percussion bring a feast of Indian drumming to Sanders Theatre on March 18. Japan’s Tao presents The Martial Art of Drumming on March 21 at the Berklee Performance Center.
After her spectacular Boston debut last year, Israel’s Yasmin Levy returns to play Berkee Perofrmance Center on February 12. Also from Israel, Idan Raichel partners with Mali’s Vieux Farka Touré to perform as the culture-blending Vieux Farka Touré & Idan Raichel Quartet on April 15 at the Somerville Theatre.
The season also features three wonderful Celtic concerts at the Somerville Theatre, including Solas on February 25, touring in support of their new release, Shamrock City; Ireland’s supergroup Altan on March 10 and Martin Hayes’s new Masters of Tradition on April 14. Masters of Tradition celebrates Irish music in its purest form and features Martin Hayes and Cathal Hayden on fiddle, Iarla Ó Lionnáird on vocals, Dennis Cahill and Seamie O’Dowd on guitar, Máirtín O’Connor on accordion and David Power on uilleann pipes.
There is a wide variety of folk concerts this winter/spring as well. Dan Zanes and Friends play two exuberant family-friendly concerts on February 5 at the Somerville Theatre. The leading force in Quebec’s progressive folk revival movement, Le Vent du Nord brings its French, Irish and Canadian traditions to the Somerville Theatre on February 11. BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet and Marcia Ball present a heart-racing musical tour of the American South and Gulf Coast on February 26 at the Somerville Theatre. The Grammy Award–winning Carolina Chocolate Drops revitalize the old-time string and jug-band music of the Piedmont region with an expanded new lineup on March 3 at the Berklee Performance Center. Mexican-American singer and composer Lila Downs explores Mexican roots music on both sides of the border with a concert to support her new album, Pecados y Milagros (Sins and Miracles), on March 9 at the Berklee Performance Center. Touring in support of their new album, Take the High Road, the Blind Boys of Alabama shine a new light on the common ground between country music and gospel in their foot-stomping, hand-clapping celebration on March 23 at the Berklee Peformance Center. Colin Hay, frontman and principal songwriter for ’80s sensation Men at Work, performs a solo acoustic performance on May 4 at the Berklee Performance Center.
World Music/CRASHarts presents a stellar jazz concert this spring. Saxophonist Joshua Redman and pianist Brad Mehldau, both Grammy Award–nominated modern jazz icons, perform together as the Joshua Redman/ Brad Mehldau Duo on March 28 at the Berklee Performance Center.
Indie concerts this season include French-Canadian chanteuse Béatrice Martin performing as Cœur de Pirate (French for pirate heart) with Leif Vollebekk opening on January 28 at Brighton Music Hall. Mark Kozelek, the iconic singer/songwriter and frontman of Sun Kil Moon and Red House Painters, plays a special solo concert on January 31 at First Church in Cambridge Congregational. Sharon Van Etten tours in support of her highly anticipated third full-length recording, Tramp, with Shearwater opening in support of their new Sub Pop release on February 23 at the Paradise Rock Club.
In the film category, Boston’s own ALLOY ORCHESTRA performs live to a new collection of short silent movies called WILD AND WEIRD on February 4 at Somerville Theatre.
WORLD MUSIC/CRASHarts
WINTER/SPRING 2012 SEASON
MONICA BILL BARNES
Performing the Boston premiere of Everything Is Getting Better All The Time
Friday, January 20, 7:30pm l Saturday, January 21, 8pm l $40
The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, 100 Northern Ave., Boston
Boston debut
“One of the wittiest young choreographers around.
She can stir your heart as well as make you laugh.”—The Village Voice
Monica Bill Barnes’s work is an impressive combination of choreographic imagination, intellect and humor. Her dances have the brilliant ability to pull at your heartstrings in one moment and laugh out loud the next. Her new work, Everything Is Getting Better All the Time, is an outrageous and whimsical evening of dance. Borrowing from the glamour of rock concerts, the goodwill of a Little League game and the enthusiasm of a high school marching band, four dancers blend explosive movement and familiar gestures to create distinct characters with a lot of heart and a touch of grit.
Free preperformance talks with dance critic Debra Cash 30 minutes before each performance in The ICA/Boston lobby.
Free postperformance Q&A with the company: Friday, January 20.
Funded in part by the National Dance Project of the New England Foundation for the Arts. NDP is supported by lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, with additional funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Community Connections Fund of the MetLife Foundation, and the Boeing Company Charitable Trust.
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From Canada
CŒUR DE PIRATE
Leif Vollebekk
Saturday, January 28, doors 8pm, show 9pm l $15 General admission, standing room only, 18+
Brighton Music Hall, 158 Brighton Ave., Brighton
Cœur de Pirate (French for pirate heart) is the stage name for French-Canadian chanteuse Béatrice Martin. Her whimsical, magical pop songs blend cabaret music, French lyrics and playful indie sensibilities. Cœur de Pirate is touring in support of her highly anticipated new recording, Blonde, coproduced by Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire, Basia Bulat, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, The Dears) and Béatrice Martin herself. Leif Vollebekk will open.
Presented in association with Crossroads Presents.
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MARK KOZELEK
(OF SUN KIL MOON & RED HOUSE PAINTERS)
Tuesday, January 31, 8pm l $20 General admission
First Church in Cambridge Congregational, 11 Garden St., Cambridge
Mark Kozelek, the iconic singer/songwriter and frontman of Sun Kil Moon and Red House Painters, is renowned for his intense, highly autobiographical songs. After RHP dissolved, Kozelek continued to impress critics, especially with his radical rearrangements of rock classics by acts such as AC/DC, Kiss and The Cars. He is playing a special solo concert in support of his latest recording, Admiral Fell Promises, as well as singing songs from the new Desertshore release.
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ALLOY ORCHESTRA
Performing the Boston premiere of WILD AND WEIRD
Saturday, February 4, 8pm l $25
Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Sq., Somerville
Wild and Weird, Alloy Orchestra's newest compositions for short silent movies, collects some of the oddest examples of early filmmaking you're likely to see. Included are Wadislaw Starewicz's 1912 The Cameraman's Revenge, a soap opera of animated insects; Hans Richter's 1926 Dadaist masterpiece Filmstudie; Edwin S. Porter's 1906 Dreams of a Rarebit Fiend, which explores the hallucinations brought on to a man who has eaten too much rich food, and J. Stuart Blackman’s 1909 Princess Nicotine; or, the Smoke Fairy, about an impish sprite living in a gentleman's pipe. Tremendously entertaining, fast paced, truly wild and weird, these films will dispel any preconceptions you might have about silent films. And, of course, Alloy's audacious scores make these mini masterpieces all the more fun.
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DAN ZANES AND FRIENDS
Sunday, February 5, 11am & 3pm l $25
Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Sq., Somerville
“Concerts by Dan Zanes are always cause for celebration.”—The New York Times
One of the hottest bands in children’s music, Grammy Award–winners Dan Zanes and Friends create fun-filled, rockin’ dance parties wherever they go, performing exuberant, handmade 21st-century music that transcends language, genre and age. Kids bounce to the catchy and playful tunes while adults appreciate the hip musicality that attracts collaborators such as Deborah Harry, Lou Reed and the Blind Boys of Alabama. Dan Zanes and Friends occupy a unique place in American music where sea shanties, North American and West Indian folk music, Mexican son jarocho, early rock and soulful originals come together in an extravaganza fit for kids and kid sympathizers alike.
All patrons must have a ticket, including children and babies of any age.
Funded in part by the Expeditions program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from the six New England state arts agencies.
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STEPHEN PETRONIO COMPANY
Performing the Boston premiere of Underland
Friday, February 10, 7:30pm l Saturday, February 11, 8pm l Sunday, February 12, 3pm l $40
The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, 100 Northern Ave., Boston
“[Petronio] has a singular knack for pairing his sexually charged, elegantly virtuosic movement language with some of the hottest musicians and fashion designers of the moment.”—The New York Times
Stephen Petronio’s Underland is a sexy, enigmatic fusion of dance, music and visual imagery inspired by the tender, bittersweet songs of pop balladeer Nick Cave. Completing Petronio’s vision is an exquisite triptych of projected imagery by visual designer Ken Tabachnick and video artist Mike Daly as well as costumes by Tara Subkoff. Together with his superb company of 11 dancers, they create the provocative world that is Underland.
Free preperformance talks with choreographer Stephen Petronio, moderated by dance critic Debra Cash, 30 minutes before each performance in The ICA/Boston lobby.
Free postperformance Q&A with the company: Friday, February 10.
Funded in part by the National Dance Project of the New England Foundation for the Arts. NDP is supported by lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, with additional funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Community Connections Fund of the MetLife Foundation, and the Boeing Company Charitable Trust.
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From Canada
LE VENT DU NORD
Saturday, February 11, 8pm l $25
Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Sq., Somerville
"Le Vent du Nord epitomises the infectious verve and bonhomie of the current roots music revival in Quebec."—FROOTS
Le Vent du Nord is a leading force in Quebec’s progressive folk revival movement. Drawing from French, Irish and Canadian traditions, the quartet blends vocals, fiddle, hurdy-gurdy, guitar, accordion and percussive feet to create a joyous new sound that swings, reels, jigs and sings with centuries of joie de vivre.
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NIMBAYA! Women Drum and Dance Company of GuineaSunday, February 12, 3pm l $28, $22
Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St., Cambridge
A daring response to the taboo of women playing the djembe in West Africa, Nimbaya! is the first all-women's percussion and dance troupe from Guinea. The group, formerly known as Amazones Women Master Drummers of Guinea, was created in 1998 by Mamoudou Condé of Les Ballets Africains fame. Presenting spectacular performances, Nimbaya! "plays with a fury, pounding out heart-racing rhythms and dancing into near frenzies."—The Boston Globe
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From Israel
YASMIN LEVY
Sunday, February 12, 7pm l $37, $32, $28
Berklee Performance Center, 136 Massachusetts Ave., Boston
With a deep, spiritual and moving style, Yasmin Levy preserves and revives the most beautiful and romantic songs from the Ladino/Judeo-Spanish tradition. Her powerfully sensual voice, which combines flamenco’s fiery passion with the microtonal melisma of Middle Eastern music, ripples across sashaying grooves built from hand percussion; Turkish-Arabic instruments such as the oud, ney and qanun, and Western standbys, including acoustic guitar and bass.
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SHARON VAN ETTEN
Shearwater
Thursday, February 23, 9pm l $15 advance, $17 day of
Paradise Rock Club, 967 Commonwealth Ave., General admission, Standing Room Only, 18+
With a starkly powerful voice, Sharon Van Etten is a master of writing songs with direct honesty and feeling. Over the course of releasing two full-length albums, Because I Was in Love (Language of Stone, 2009) and epic (Ba Da Bing, 2010), Van Etten has been celebrated by fans and critics alike. Since epic’s release, she has opened the Pitchfork Music Festival, played the Hollywood Bowl with Neko Case and Radio City Music Hall with The Antlers, sung on new records for Beirut and Ed Askew and collaborated with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and Megafaun on the Songs of the South project. Jagjaguwar will be releasing her third full-length recording, Tramp, produced by Aaron Dessner of The National. Austin’s Shearwater will open in support of their new Sub Pop release.
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SOLASSaturday, February 25, 8pm l $28
Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Sq., Somerville
“Solas offers a compellingly original, strikingly contemporary view of traditional Celtic sounds.”
—Los Angeles Times
Celebrating its 15th anniversary, Solas is widely considered one of the most popular, influential and exciting Celtic bands. Playing a range of tunes from Woody Guthrie's Pastures of Plenty to Springsteen's Ghost of Tom Joad to traditional Irish jigs and reels, Solas varies the mix of fire-tested Irish tradition and contemporary sensibility with ease. They are touring in support of their new release, Shamrock City.
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BEAUSOLEIL avec MICHAEL DOUCET
MARCIA BALLSunday, February 26, 7pm l $35
Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Sq., Somerville
BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet “One of the most colorful roots bands on the scene.
Bon temps, every time they play.”—The New York Times
Marcia Ball "A sensational, saucy singer and superb pianist . . .
where Texas stomp-rock and Louisiana blues-swamp meet."—USA Today
BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet and Marcia Ball present a heart-racing musical tour of the American South and Gulf Coast. With a celebrated 35-year career, BeauSoleil has been taking the rich Cajun traditions of Louisiana and artfully blending elements of Zydeco, New Orleans jazz, Tex-Mex, country, blues and more. Singer/pianist Marcia Ball knows how to raise roofs and tear down walls with her infectious, intelligent and deeply emotional brand of southern boogie, rollicking roadhouse blues and heartfelt ballads. Her exquisite piano playing and passionate, playful vocals fuse New Orleans and Gulf Coast R&B with Austin's deep songwriting tradition.
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FLAMENCO FESTIVAL 2012
Compañía Rafaela Carrasco
Performing the Boston premiere of Vamos al Tiroteo
Friday, March 2, 8pm l Saturday, March 3, 8pm l $65, $50, $40
Cutler Majestic Theatre at Emerson College, 219 Tremont St., Boston
From Seville, Rafaela Carrasco is a breathtaking dancer and one of the most important flamenco choreographers of her generation. With her company of five dancers and live musicians, she displays her rare ability to explore new concepts while maintaining the essence and integrity of flamenco in Vamos al Tiroteo. Set to a selection of popular Spanish songs originally recorded by Federico García Lorca and sung by La Argentinita in 1931, Vamos al Tiroteo brings new life and energy to the music that inspired a hugely influential generation of flamenco artists.
Compañía Olga Pericet
Performing the Boston premiere of Rosa, Metal y Ceniza
Sunday, March 4, 7pm l $65, $50, $40
Cutler Majestic Theatre at Emerson College, 219 Tremont St., Boston
Boston debut
One of flamenco’s most exciting new talents, Olga Pericet is a young, diminutive yet powerful dancer. Her elegant new work, Rosa, Metal y Ceniza, won the Revelación prize at last year´s Festival de Jerez. It seamlessly blends dream references with traditional and contemporary flamenco dance and features Pericet joined by two male dancers and live musicians.
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CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS
Saturday, March 3, 8pm l $37, $32, $28
Berklee Performance Center, 136 Massachusetts Ave., Boston
“This striking North Carolina trio brings a modern sizzle to the legacy of classic
African American stringbands . . . sparking an electrifying ruckus.”—Spin
“The hottest thing to hit the old-time music community in decades.”—NPR Weekend Edition
The Grammy Award–winning Carolina Chocolate Drops revitalize the old-time string and jug-band music of the Piedmont region with velocity and virtuosity. The band’s expanded new lineup includes original members Rhiannon Giddens on fiddle, banjo and vocals and Dom Flemons on guitar, banjo, harmonica, jug and snare. They are joined by new members Hubby Jenkins and Leyla McCalla.
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LILA DOWNSFriday, March 9, 8pm l $42, $37, $30
Berklee Performance Center, 136 Massachusetts Ave., Boston
“Exotic beauty and startling voice . . . she is a reflection of a 21st century world culture
where ethnicity and national boundaries blur.”—Los Angeles Times
Known for her smoky voice and magnetic performances, Mexican-American singer and composer Lila Downs has created one of the most singular explorations of Mexican roots music on both sides of the border. She blends Mexican folk rhythms and native dialects with American folk, blues and rock. Her new release, Pecados y Milagros (Sins and Miracles), is inspired by Downs's experience becoming a new mother (something she calls “a miracle”), and a contemplation of the meaning of “sin” in the modern world. The music is accompanied by a series of specially commissioned votive paintings (retablos) by 15 Mexican painters. For this special performance, Downs and her band La Misteriosa will perform while these powerful images are projected onstage.
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From Ireland
ALTANSaturday, March 10, 8pm l $28
Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Sq., Somerville
“Altan continues to be one of the Celtic world’s great treasures, gifted with a front line that is a sheer powerhouse.”—Los Angeles Times
Altan is regarded by many as the world’s finest traditional Irish band. Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh sings ballads with seemingly effortless beauty and grace, and her duets with fellow fiddler Ciarán Tourish are the centerpiece of the group’s instrumental sound. Their complementary styles are anchored by one of the best rhythm sections in the business, with Dáithí Sproule on guitar, Dermot Byrne on accordion and Ciarán Curran on bouzouki.
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TREY McINTYRE PROJECT
Performing Boston premiere works
Friday, March 16, 7:30pm l Saturday, March 17, 8pm l Sunday, March 18, 3pm l $40
The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, 100 Northern Ave., Boston
“Trey McIntyre has emerged over the past decade as one of the hottest choreographers in the dance world.”—The Boston Globe
Trey McIntyre is one of the most sought-after choreographers today, creating works for American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet and many others as well as his own company. Called “fresh and forward-thinking” by The Washington Post and “engaging and provocative” by The Boston Globe, he uses classical ballet technique as a departure point to create exuberant dances that convey grace, passion and humor. His company of 11 exquisite dancers perform the Boston premiere of Leatherwing Bat (music by Peter, Paul and Mary), Blue Until June (music by Etta James) and Ma Maison (music by the Preservation Hall Band).
Free preperformance talks with Trey McIntyre: Saturday, March 17 and Sunday, March 18, 30 minutes before each performance in The ICA/Boston lobby.
Free postperformance Q&A with the company: Friday, March 16.
Funded in part by the Expeditions program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from the six New England state arts agencies.
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From South Africa
LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZOSaturday, March 17, 8pm l $40, $32, $28
Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St., Cambridge
With the power of gospel and the precision of Broadway, Ladysmith Black Mambazo is the undisputed king of mbube, South African a cappella singing. The group came together in the early 1960s and continues to thrill audiences around the world with its strong, proud melodies, harmonized in layers of call and response.
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From India
ZAKIR HUSSAIN & MASTERS OF PERCUSSIONSunday, March 18, 7pm l $50, $42, $37, $28
Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St., Cambridge
In a dazzling display of Indian percussion, tabla superstar Zakir Hussain is joined by the finest percussionists from India’s classical and folk traditions, including Fazal Qureshi, tabla and kanjira; Rakesh Chaurasia, bansuri (bamboo flute); T.H.V. Umashankar, ghatam (clay pot); Dilshad Khan, sarangi; Navin Sharma, dholak; Abbos Kosimov, doyra, and the Meitei Pung Cholom Performing Troupe, dancing drummers of Manipur.
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From Japan
TAO: The Martial Art of Drumming
Wednesday, March 21, 7:30pm l $42, $37, $30
Berklee Performance Center, 136 Massachusetts Ave., Boston
"Powerful, dynamic and unique."—Time Out
"Extraordinarily talented . . . incomparable muscular zeal."—Chicago Tribune
With explosive taiko drumming and innovative, acrobatic choreography, TAO: The Martial Art of Drumming offers a breathtaking, vibrantly modern twist on a traditional art form—and a visual and sonic tour de force! This all-new production captures the best of TAO’s extraordinary precision, energy and stamina.
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BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMAFriday, March 23, 8pm l $42, $37, $30
Berklee Performance Center, 136 Massachusetts Ave., Boston
Since meeting at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in 1939, the Blind Boys of Alabama have thrilled audiences worldwide with their potent, impassioned renditions of gospel songs. Winners of five Grammy Awards, celebrated by the National Endowment for the Arts with several Lifetime Achievement Awards and inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, they have attained the highest levels of achievement in a career that spans over 60 years and shows no signs of diminishing. The Blind Boys of Alabama send spirits soaring to dizzying heights with their foot-stomping, hand-clapping celebration.
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From Spain
PACO DE LUCÍA
Wednesday, April 11, 7:30pm l $75, $60, $40
The Boston Opera House, 539 Washington St, Boston
“The most advanced guitarist in any idiom.”—Guitar Review
One of the world’s greatest guitarists, Paco de Lucía is a living legend of flamenco music. Considered by many to be the most innovative and influential flamenco artist of the last 40 years, he has had a revolutionary impact on the art form, infusing it with new life and bringing it worldwide attention. Paco de Lucía will be performing with his world-renowned flamenco sextet and the spectacular dancer Farruco.
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From Ireland
Masters of Tradition
MARTIN HAYES, DENNIS CAHILL & FRIENDS
Saturday, April 14, 8pm l $30
Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Sq., Somerville
An exceptional evening of Celtic music performed by some of Ireland’s most esteemed traditional musicians, this concert is based on a famous festival curated by Irish fiddle virtuoso Martin Hayes in the West County Cork town of Bantry. Now touring for the first time, Masters of Tradition celebrates Irish music in its purest form and features Martin Hayes and Cathal Hayden on fiddle, Iarla Ó Lionnáird on vocals, Dennis Cahill and Seamie O’Dowd on guitar, Máirtín O’Connor on accordion and David Power on uilleann pipes.
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From Mali & Israel
THE VIEUX FARKA TOURÉ & IDAN RAICHEL QUARTET
Sunday, April 15, 7pm l $28
Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Sq., Somerville
African guitarist/songwriter Vieux Farka Touré and Israeli pianist/composer Idan Raichel are two virtuosic artists from vastly different musical traditions, but both perform in the spirit of promoting peace and cross-cultural harmony. After meeting in Spain, Touré and Raichel forged a deep friendship, and the Vieux Farka Touré and Idan Raichel Quartet was born. With a hauntingly beautiful album due out this spring, the touring quartet features Touré and Raichel joined by renowned bassist Yossi Fine and percussionist Souleymane Kané on djembe and calabash.
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India Jazz Suites: KATHAK MEETS TAP
Pandit Chitresh Das & Jason Samuels Smith
Friday, April 20, 7:30pm l Saturday, April 21, 8pm l Sunday, April 22, 3pm l $40
The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, 100 Northern Ave., Boston
“Dazzling . . . with breathtaking precision. A dynamic exchange of dance ideas
that brilliantly illuminated distinctive differences between their respective art forms,
electrifying an enthusiastic sold-out crowd.”—The Boston Globe
India Jazz Suites is an explosive collaboration between Pandit Chitresh Das, one of India’s foremost Kathak masters, and Jason Samuels Smith, the Emmy Award–winning tap dancer renowned for his amazing footwork in Bring in ’da Noise, Bring in ’da Funk. Indian classical musicians and a stellar jazz trio perform live to complete this powerful artistic exchange. The result is high entertainment that crosses all boundaries of age and culture—a blast of incredible speed and power, grace and beauty, epic storytelling and the pure joy of dance.
Free preperformance talks with dance critic Debra Cash 30 minutes before each performance in The ICA/Boston lobby.
Free postperformance Q&A with the company: Friday, April 20.
Funded in part by the Expeditions program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from the six New England state arts agencies.
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JOSHUA REDMAN/BRAD MEHLDAU DUO
Saturday, April 28, 8pm l $37, $32, $28
Berklee Performance Center, 136 Massachusetts Ave., Boston
Saxophonist Joshua Redman and pianist Brad Mehldau first performed together in Redman’s acclaimed quartet during the ’90s. In the decade and a half since, both Grammy Award–nominated musicians have reached international and critical acclaim while forging their own distinctive voices as modern jazz icons. The duo format fosters a new convergence for these friends to reunite for an intimate performance in which they can openly create music that swings and deeply connects to the spirit.
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COLIN HAY
Friday, May 4, 8pm l $37, $32, $28
Berklee Performance Center, 136 Massachusetts Ave., Boston
As frontman and principal songwriter for ’80s sensation Men at Work, Colin Hay is responsible for one of the most identifiable sounds in pop music. Classic songs like "Down Under," "Overkill" and "Who Can It Be Now?" unfold like miniature movies, with timeless twists and a bittersweet sense of humor. In this solo acoustic performance, Hay intersperses classic and new songs with humorous, poignant and downright surreal stories drawn from his often unbelievable experiences over the last three decades.
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From South Africa
JOHNNY CLEGG BAND
Wednesday, June 27, 7:30pm l $40
Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Sq., Somerville
With a career spanning three decades, Johnny Clegg pioneered a new, unique sound combining Western rock with Zulu rhythms and became one of South Africa's most prolific musicians and an international superstar. Known for his lively, energetic stage performances, he returns to Boston after a stellar sold-out performance last year.
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