Gerard Edery, NYC, Jun 25, 2008
Gerard Edery and band
June 25, 2008 at 8pm
Museum of Jewish Heritage
36 Battery Place, New York, NY 10280.
A soul-stirring musical journey, "The Spirit of Sepharad: From Casbah to Caliphate” traces the unique migration of Sephardic music from medieval Spain, across North Africa, to the Middle East. Combining music, dance and illuminating projections, this dynamic mixed-media performance brings to life all the rich cultural strains that influenced Sephardic/Mizrahi Jews. Featuring an array of virtuoso musicians from multiple disciplines, the program includes songs of secular and liturgical origin, spanning many centuries to the present and many continents from Ancient Persia (present day Afghanistan and Iran), Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Greece, Syria, Turkey, The Balkans, Jerusalem and Kurdistan (then, as now, part of Iran, Turkey and Iraq). The musical story of a rich cultural heritage that synthesizes diverse influences, "The Spirit of Sepharad" is a celebration of the Sephardic/Mizrahi experience that invites the possibility of coexistence, tolerance, respect and peace among all peoples.
Featuring:
Gerard Edery (vocals, guitar, saz) master of Sephardic song, winner of the Sephardic Musical Heritage Award
Amir Vahab (vocals, saz, percussion) Iranian master vocalist of Persian sacred and folk music
Glen Velez (percussion) Three-time Grammy Award winning master drummer and composer
Ara Dinkjan (oud) Aremenian virtuoso who is considered one of the top oud players in the world
Barbara Martinez (dancer, vocals, narrator) Flamenco star dancer, singer and actress
Meg Okura (violin, erhu) highly acclaimed world music, classical and world chamber jazz virtuoso