I had the pleasure and honor of attending a memorial concert and outstanding performances that moved me, once aGain. SciArts Services always has the best talent to showcase in Indian sonic and spiritual adventurous, just as the moments in life go forward, so to do we as a united people sharing in each other’s spaces with love, dignity and respect.
Da Truth Brass Band performed live at the 2025 Congo Square Rhythms Festival! We’re video streaming live from the Treme Stage all day today. I attended live via WWOZ. What a fin time as expected.
Sunday, March 30, 2025 – 11:00am to 7:30pm
Armstrong Park (OUTDOORS)
901 North Rampart Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
Sunday, March 30 was streamed live from Congo Square Rhythms Festival!
SCHEDULE (subject to change):
11am-12:15pm Alicia Renee aka “Blue Eyes”
12:30-2pm Da Truth Brass Band
2:15-3:30pm Zena Moses & Rue Fiya’s Allstars
3:45-4:45pm NOLA Resistance
5-6pm Gladney
6:15-7:30pm Original Pinettes Brass Band
This year’s American Songbook (at the Lincoln Center) celebrates the voices of women and nonbinary performers who have not only shaped the landscape of music, but have also driven important conversations on gender, identity, and empowerment. Galvanized by a Sex Pistols concert, the UK-born Marion Elliot adapted the sobriquet Poly Styrene, formed a band and then promptly changed the history of rock by recording the seminal punk anthem Oh Bondage! Up Yours! Poly Styrene would only release one album in the 1970s, but Germ Free Adolescents would prove to be one of the most influential LPs of its era. For this evening of music by and inspired by Poly Styrene and her band X-Ray Spex, the American Songbook band—featuring Keyanna Hutchinson (guitar), Barbara Duncan (percussion), Evan Lawrence (bass), and Elenna Canlas (keyboards and vocals)—will be joined by an array of musical luminaries, all paying their respects to a true punk pioneer. Watch it all HERE!!
Featured Artists
Host: LaRonda Davis
Vocalists:
Cleo Reed
Dunia Best
Felice Rosser
Honeychild Coleman
Princess Nokia
Lisa McQuade
Militia Vox
Rachel Dissident
Rose Blood
Shara Lunon
The 3D printed Renaissance 17 (R17), invented and patented by Grammy-nominated New England Conservatory faculty member Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol, marks a revolutionary step in instrument making. The 3D version of instrument will be premiered in a concert featuring Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol and the Dunya Ensemble at 7:30 ET on Wednesday, March 26 at NEC’s Jordan Hall.
A musical journey, with Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol and the DÜNYA ensemble, from classical Ottoman/Turkish music to original concert and jazz pieces inspired by Turkish music.
Dünya Ensemble
Beth Bahia Cohen, rebab, bowed tanbur, violin
Süeda Çatakoğlu, voice, piano, percussion
Vladyslav Dovhan, alto saxophone
Heiraza, voice, percussion
James Heazlewood-Dale, bass
George Lernis, drums, percussion, voice
Dan Meyers, sackbut, percussion, voice
Tareq Rantisi, percussion, voice
Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol, oud, electric oud, Renaissance 17, piano, duduk, ney, voice
Mark Tipton, trumpet, flugelhorn
Alice Xu, piano
Program:
I. Early Ottoman Music
II. Classical Turkish Music
III. Concert Music
IV. Sacred Music
V. Jazz and Pop
GRAMMY nominee Ariacne Trujillo and her orchestra celebrate her latest album release, Legacy. Ariacne is one of the most creative pianists, vocalists, composers, and arrangers on the New York music scene. At the young age of 18, she was a lead singer and pianist at the legendary Cabaret Tropicana; and since then, she has built an astonishing career sharing the stage with legends Paul Simon, Paquito D. Rivera, Wynton Marsalis, and countless more. With her virtuosity on the piano, her powerful and flexible voice, originality of her compositions, and musical influence from her native Havana, Cuba, she makes her mark in Afro-Cuban Latin jazz—exuding the perfect balance of elegance and intensity. Her and her orchestra played a wonderul evening at the Lincoln Center.
Senior Recital: SGO, horn
Date:
Saturday, March 15, 2025
Time:
7:30 pm EDT
Location:
Warner Concert Hall
77 W. College St.
Oberlin, OH 44074
_______________________________________________________________________________
Program:
Hermann Neuling: Bagatelle
Antonio Rosetti: Concerto for Two Horns in E-flat Major
Florence Price/ arr. Elaine Fine: Adoration (1951)
Consuelo Velázquez/ arr. Arturo Pantaleon & Gabriel Soto: Bésame mucho
Traditional Australian/ arr. Joshua Davis: Waltzing Matilda
Joshua Davis/ Yuniet Lombida: Rondo alla Mambo (2020)
From the melting pot of cultures that blend in the Washington, D.C. area emerges a fusion of musical genres that is shaking dance floors and captivating music lovers’ attention. It is known as the Bongo District. Its mix of reggae, funk, and ska, spiced up with a Latin flavor, has earned the group local recognition, with the group becoming one of D.C.’s most sought-after bands. It plays as a regular act in top venues such as The Bullpen and the Bluebeat Concert Series. Bongo District has also opened for established South American artists Los Cafres, Los Rabanes, and Desorden Publico, among others. The group’s unique blend of popular covers and original music makes their live act appealing to audiences of all ages, taking them on a trip through passages of relaxing reggae music to full blown stadium-chant percussive parties. With a three-hour-plus repertoire under their belt, Bongo District is able to adapt to any size and style of venue without losing the enthusiasm that characterizes their live show. Be it an outdoor stage, live venue, or a small local business, entertainment is guaranteed. “El Distrito,” as they like to call their shows, is a judgement-free zone where they encourage audiences to express themselves while enjoying music in communion. Bongo District is currently recording their first original EP, which promises to evolve around the all-inclusive welcoming message they transmit at every one of their performances: “Dear fellow music fans, thank you for joining and enjoying this experience with us, you are now part of the District…”
This is the one District where you are sure to find all your musical needs fulfilled. They took to the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center on March 14th to show it all off.
On March 12th, The Jazz Foundation of America presented: Sweetie Pies of New Orleans, Live at Snug Harbor
Personel:
-Becky Lynn Blanca: vocals, banjo uke, washboard
-Russell Lee Welch III : Guitar
-Jason Jurzak: Sousaphone /Bass, vocals
-Matt Rhody: Fiddle
-Mike Voelker: Washboard
Chris Pierce is an Americana and folk singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, recently handpicked by Mr. Neil Young to be the special guest opener for his Neil Young Coastal Tour. His album ‘Let All Who Will’ was released in 2023, with critical acclaim from NPR, No Depression, American Songwriter, and more. He gained prominence with “We Can Always Come Back to This,” his hit cowrite that aired on three episodes of the NBC primetime series This Is Us and went on to #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart. Pierce has toured and performed on stage with Steve Earle, Allison Russell, B.B.King, Seal, Al Green, and Neil Young. Chris Peirce provided proof that there are still some left who’s words can travel well while we stand still, going both back & forth.
Ranky Tanky has achieved many firsts for South Carolina’s West African–rooted Gullah community since their formation, earning yet another milestone at the 2019 Grammy Awards® by taking home the Best Regional Roots Album prize for their sophomore release ‘Good Time’. The album, which also hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Chart, combines songs carried down through generations in the Sea Islands of the Southeastern United States with the band’s own original compositions in the Gullah tradition. In Ranky Tanky’s hands, this style of music has been described as “soulful honey to the ears” (NPR) while being covered by The New York Times, NPR’s Fresh Air, and The TODAY Show, who had the band on for a performance. Ranky Tanky (a Gullah phrase for “get funky”) are 5 lifelong friends from Charleston, South Carolina who have established themselves as passionate global ambassadors for their local culture and community, helping to faithfully preserve the traditions originated by African Americans in the coastal South during slavery that are kept alive through the present day. The band has been featured on NPR’s Fresh Air, The Today Show, PBS Newshour, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert #playathome. Ranky Tanky were honored to be featured artists in President Biden’s inauguration event, ‘We The People’. They were the subjects of a ten-page profile in Oxford American’s South Carolina music issue and were named 2020 Artist of The Year by the Charleston City Paper. They sure did give it to us all so good on March 8th at the Kennedy Center. You can watch the video of the entire event here and below click into Quentin’s name to hear my conversation with him a couple years back before a show here in Madison.
Quentin Baxter, drums and percussion
Kevin Hamilton, bass
Quiana Parler, vocalist
Clay Ross, guitar and vocals
Charlton Singleton, trumpet and vocals
Ezekiel’s Wheels Klezmer Band is one of the world’s preeminent klezmer ensembles. 2024–2025 season highlights include performing as soloists with Maestro Joshua Weilerstein and the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra (DK) in Abigale Reisman’s Gedanken for klezmer band and orchestra; StetlFest (CZ); and the Museum of Fine Arts Boston (USA).Their music has been featured on television in the Netherlands and Brazil, on the Boston Jewish Music Festival’s compilation album, and a feature length film, in addition to their eight albums. The Wheels have performed with Hankus Netsky, David Broza, Paula Cole, Jill Sobule, BETTY, and many more collaborators from the klezmer world and beyond. When they’re not playing klezmer, they can be found backing up such household names as Eminem, Hugh Jackman, Weird Al Yankovic, Amanda Palmer, and Chris Botti, and holding down the pit orchestras of musical theater shows across New England. Last night, they took to the Millennium Stage at The Kennedy Center and transformed the space into a vibrant landscape of Klezmer gold.
Boma Bango takes the hypnotic, reverb drenched, tremolo-ed electric guitar heavy music from the 1960s in the Congo and reimagines it as if it came out of some humid outdoor bar in Southwest Louisiana. Boma Bango formed after Daniel Coolik became infatuated with 1950s and 1960s Congolese Rumba. A music originally influenced by Cuban records from the 1930s and 40s and infused with melodies and instruments from the Congo. Boma Bango, by taking musical cues from Congolese luminaries as Franco Luambo & le TPOK Jazz, L’Orchestra African Fiesta with Docteur Nico and Tabu Ley Rochereau, and Le Grand Kallé et l’African Jazz, has strived to create their own kind of improvisational music based upon the sounds from this golden age. The band was started in 2018 by musical compatriots Daniel Coolik (electric guitar/electric mandolin), Trey Boudreaux (bass), Megan Constantin (vocals/percussion), Bill Smith (congas/marimba), and Glenn Fields (drums/percussion) – and is sometimes joined by Aurora Nealand (saxophones). They reinvent old songs and write new ones in Louisiana French just as the Congelse wrote songs in Lingala. In the same way jazz musicians took the Great American Songbook in the 1940s and 50s and now take from popular music, Boma Bango has reworked these beautiful and almost forgotten melodies to create an alluring, tropical, and exciting new sound.
Millennium Stage
This evening, Daymé Arocena, a Grammy®-nominated and Juno Award-winning Afro-Cuban singer who is known for her genre-defying creativity and deep connection to her Cuban heritage, rocked a sold out stage at the Kennedy Center. Her latest album, Alkemi (2024), follows the acclaimed Sonocardiograma (2019) and marks a bold evolution from her jazz roots, blending neo-soul, Afro-Caribbean rhythms, and modern pop. In recognition of her work, she received a 2024 Latin Grammy® nomination for Song of the Year for “A Fuego Lento” featuring Vicente García.
Millennium Stage – Sat. Feb. 22, 2025
Renowned vocalist Alicia Waller provided an unforgettable evening as she brings her ensemble, Alicia Waller & The Excursion, to Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center. Featuring a vibrant blend of jazz, soul, and vernacular sounds, Waller performed selections from her acclaimed EP, Some Hidden Treasure (2020), along with fresh material from her highly anticipated debut album, Louder Then. Known for the luminous warmth of her voice and her captivating approach to soul, Waller creates a rich, expressive sound that has been praised as a synthesis of splendor and depth.
The Jazz Foundation Presents: Simon Lott’s We Gon Do Dis
February 19, 2025 5:00 pm – February 19, 2025 6:00 pm
Snug Harbor
Drummer & beyond, Simon Lott was born on January 6, 1982 and has been making music professionally since 1995. His career as a versatile drummer began in Louisiana at age 13 in Baton Rouge & New Orleans. He completed an B.A. in English Literature in 2004. At age 23, he moved to New York City after the destructive Hurricane Katrina & began touring internationally. 2 years later, he returned to the South and has been living in New Orleans since. He fashioned his first album of original music at age 18, an instrumental jazz recording called “In The Parking Lott of Swing.” Then at age 23 completed his second album of original music entitled “Things.” Things stepped into other facets of music: hip-hop, electronica, funk, rock, R&B, and included bits of vocals and a heavy amount of post-production and “cutting-&-pasting” of live recorded tracks mixed with composition and improvisation, highlighting Lott’s skills as composer as well as producer. The music was recorded in 2002 and was slowly edited over 3 years. At the age of 25, Simon began home recording and experimenting more with synthesizers and effects pedals. At age 28, he created a home studio called THE EARSE in New Orleans where he cultivated two alteregos– Context Killer and Diamond Kinkade: Context Killer’s main rig is a drum set w/contact microphones, synthesizer(s), looper(s), & effects pedal(s); later, electric bass & vocals were added– a malleable, morphing rig indeed… The initial concept of Context Killer’s music was to create a more visceral, organic kind of electronic music by making the music without pre-set loops or samples and with live drumming & keyboard playing. The Context Killer concept was also fabricated as a way to develop playing other instruments and singing. Context Killing is also about changing your current situation if it’s not working; it’s a way to come at things from a different angle so you don’t get stuck, or face the infinite spectrum–there’s always another layer to be uncovered & explored. For instance, using “negative” energy effectively to make music thus giving the listener diverse experience; or employing physical exercise to free your mind and become more in touch with the body that is needed for music-making. This looping period lasted for a good while with great affects & effects.
Madison, Wis. (Feb. 5, 2025) — The International Festival returns to Overture Center for an exciting day full of cultural performances, food and more. The annual festival will take place on Saturday, March 8 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Celebrating the rich cultural heritage within our community and enjoying nearly 30 FREE performances throughout Overture by artists who call Dane County home. Indulge in cuisines from around the world, browse stunning arts and crafts available for purchase, and learn about the many local businesses with global connections. More than 20 cultures will be represented.
Guests may participate in person at Overture or online for select livestreamed performances via Overture’s Facebook page.
PERFORMANCES – 10:15 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Atimevu – Traditional music from Ghana
Beni Daiko – Madison-based Japanese Taiko drumming
Breckenridge School of Highland Dance – Watch the swirling kilts and vibrant tartans of Scotland
Charanga Agozá – Cuban charanga-style dance music
Cris & Ann Plata – South Texas and Mexican border music: conjunto and norteño
Guitar House of Madison – Spanish guitar music with rhythm, passion & fire featuring Gabor Szarvas & friends
Hmong Institute’s Heritage Club – Traditional poetry songs (kwv txhiaj) with musical instruments
Last Gaspe – Canadian, Irish and American fiddle music that swings
Limanya Drum & Dance Ensemble – Traditional drumming and dancing from Guinea, West Africa
LuLu Quintet – Sparkling French/Romany “hot club” jazz inspired by Django Reinhardt
Mad Craic Irish Dance – All-adult dance troupe performing both modern and old-style Irish dances
Madison Chinese Culture Association – Promoting Chinese culture and supporting our community
Madison Männerchor – Wisconsin’s oldest German chorus, performing German and English songs
Madison Pipes & Drums – Scottish bagpipe band that promotes Celtic heritage through music
Meenakshi Ganesan & the Kalaanjali Dance Company – Bharatanatyam – classical Indian dance more than 3,000 years old
Mona Augustin – World beat love & social justice songs
Raizes do Brasil – Capoiera – an Afro-Brazilian art form that fuses self-defense, dance, music and acrobatics
Rebulu Group – Classic Cuban conjunto music
Sadira Middle Eastern Dance – Raqs Sharki – the joyful, classical women’s dance of the Middle East
Sergio El Vacilon – Cuban Son Guajira, Cha Cha Cha, Mambo, solo guitar and vocals
Son Del Atlantico – Colombian fusion band
Swapna Srinivasan-Mukula – Bharatanatyam dancer, teacher and performer
Tania Tandias Flamenco & Spanish Dance – Fiery flamenco dances from Southern Spain
UW Russian Folk Orchestra – Russian/Eastern European music played on authentic instruments
Yid Vicious – Festive blend of traditional and contemporary Klezmer music
Žaibas Lithuanian Dancers – Sharing, preserving and promoting Lithuanian heritage through dance
Zhong Yi Kung Fu Association – Traditional Sar Ping style of Lion Dance with live music
SPECIAL ACTIVITIES
Little Eagle Arts Foundation (LEAF) (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.): Hands-on activities by various LEAF artists:
Molli Pauliot – natural fiber weavings
Lightning New Rider – natural fiber weavings
Glory of the Morning: Claire Maisells and Joy Maisells – hand crafted items all Native American made
Blue Bear Studios: Chris Sweet and Chrissy Shegonee – paintings, totes and mugs
Sky Woman Beadwork – Sayokla Kindness
Lillian WhiteEagle – traditional beadwork on everyday items and Ho-Chunk dancer regalia
Kimberly Crowley – basketry
Earth Jewelry by Leah: Leah Winneshiek – gemstone and beadwork mixed media
Little Eagle Arts Foundation – beadwork art making activity
UW-Madison International Reach (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.): Explore new cultures with student ambassadors
INTERNATIONAL MARKET & FOOD VENDORS
Aidanm Sweet Isintu Foundation
Akarim African Enterprise
Café Costa Rica
Friendship Force of Wisconsin-Madison
Friends of Ukraine – Madison, Inc.
Greenbush Heritage Foundation
Hope Institute of Uganda
Inti Fair Trade
Italian Workmen’s Club – Madison
Jakarta Cafe
Madame Chu Delicacies
Madison Arcatao Sister City Project (MASCP)
Madison Area Chinese Community Organization
Madison-Camaguey Sister City Association
Madison-Freiburg Sister City Committee
Madison-Obihiro Sister Cities, Inc.
Madison-Rafah Sister City Project
Madison-Tepatitlán Sister Cities
Madison-Vilnius Sister Cities, Inc.
Mundo Esperanza Inc.
M&J Jamaican Kitch’n
Nazka’s Handmade
Nepali American Friendship Association
Otavalo Art
Polish Heritage Club of Madison-Wisconsin
Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Wisconsin-Madison
Spinning Handiworks
The Hmong Institute
The Rolling Pin Bake Shop
Verona Area International School
International Festival 2025 is funded by Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison.
In collaboration with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea and the Korean Cultural Center on the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center.
The Korean drumming collective GongMyoung is renowned for its innovative reinterpretations of time-honored Korean music—with a modern jam-session flair, unconventional improvised instruments, and an effortless sense of cool. Formed in 1997, the group has the unique ability to recreate & rearrange traditional Korean music, showcasing the versatility & diversity of Korean culture through surprisingly approachable works. Their performances often feature their namesake—a distinctive bamboo instrument they created, called the GongMyoung—plus a variety of wind & percussion instruments. As an ensemble, GongMyoung transcends genres in both their style and musical application, which includes major concerts, stage musicals, plays, dance performances, & films. GongMyoung’s global impact extends to over fisty countries and 130 international festivals. The group has been selected for some of the world’s largest art showcases & festivals, including performances at AAM 2001 in Singapore, GATEWAY 2006 in Mexico, APAP 2007 in New York, WOMEX 2008 in Spain, MIDEM 2009 in France, SXSW 2010 in Texas, and CINARS in 2007 and 2014 in Canada. They have performed at numerous international festivals including in Australia (Melbourne, Sydney), Norway (Ford), Sweden (Malmö, EBU Folk Festival), Italy (San Marino), China (Guangzhou), Germany (Pina Bausch), Canada (Vancouver), the Philippines, Zimbabwe (Harare), Mongolia (Playtime), Belgium (SFINKS Mixed Festival), and Taipei (WMF). Their performances in international diplomacy and cross-cultural exchange has taken GongMyoung across the globe as well, to India (New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai), Portugal, Greece, Bangladesh, the Philippines, China (Guangzhou), New Zealand (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch), Chile, the United States of America (Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston), Vietnam, Japan (Tokyo), Brazil, Pakistan, the UAE, the United Kingdom (London), Germany (Wuppertal), Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Sweden, Bulgaria, Canada, Cambodia, Mongolia, Hong Kong, Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, France, Belgium, Taiwan, Romania, Nauru, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Trinidad and Tobago, and many more. Their performances continue to expand globally, further cementing their place as a prominent cultural ambassador group.
Members:
Director: Seo Hyungwon
Planning: Jeong Wooin
Musicians: Kyongkeun Song (sogeum, daegeum), Youngju Lim (percussion), Sunil Kang (janggu, gayanggeum), Seungwon Park (guitar, string bamboo)
The genre-fluid, accomplished creator Mali Obomsawin is a bassist, composer, vocalist and proud citizen of the Odanak First Nation. Obomsawin’s increasingly broad body of work spans jazz and roots music, indie rock and experimental sound, film scoring, and all-ages instruction. An international touring artist and celebrated accompanist, her current projects include the shoegaze duo Deerlady, the Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band and her eponymous free-jazz ensemble, making its Lincoln Center premiere at the David Rubenstein Atrium. Obomsawin’s music liberally references her Native heritage and the challenges of realizing freedom under colonialism while challenging listeners with expressive harmonies.
Ghalia Volt cut her chops busking in the streets of her native Belgium and fronting blues-rock bands. The personable singer, drummer, guitarist, & songwriter followed the blues trail to New Orleans, where she fronted the local band ‘Mama’s Boys’ – to Chicago and back down the river through Mississippi and finally back to the Crescent City, where she is now based. She’s charted on the Billboard Blues Chart with her 2019 album Mississippi Blend, which includes appearances by Cody Dickinson and Cedric Burnside, among others. Since then she’s stripped down her sound ahead of her One Woman Band project, which began with a month-long songwriting Amtrak trip and launched a solo tour. Her 2023 Shout Sister Shout! release brings her back with a full band and includes originals like “Po Boy John” as well as her rocking version of the blues standard title cut. Tuned in last Friday afternoon to catch a live set from Ghalia Volt at WWOZ.
I caught two events tonight that were able to keep a mind opening. First at the Kennedy Center, I witnesses the power of Maruja Limón. Maruja Limón is a female sextet from Barcelona known for their vibrant music that blends flamenco, pop, & Latin rhythms. Formed in 2014, they compose and arrange their own songs and have performed at festivals and venues across Europe, Morocco, and Spain, including Festival Cruilla and Pirineos Sur. They are presenting the EP Te como la cara, where they explore Catalan, flamenco, and Latin rumba fused with experimental electronic sounds, dembow, salsa, and pop, delivering explosive music with lyrics that balance sensitivity and irony. They gained recognition in Billboard’s On the Radar Latin section after their debut in the Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC, New York). They really energized the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage.
Second, I ear-grabbed and eye-popped Dex Daley & Jam-X Live at Snug Harbor presented by The Jazz Foundation of America. Dex Daley & Jam-X perform a unique blend of Reggae, Ska and Caribbean roots music incorporating the Steel Drum, that keeps excited audiences worldwide moving, grooving and downright feeling real good.
The band features:
DEX DALEY
Steel Pan, Keytar, Lead Vocals
SEBASTIAN WESTON
Guitar
ETHAN SHORTER
Drums, Percussions, Vocals
STEVEN MENOLD
Bass
MICHELLE SHORTER
Sax
