17 October 2019
Amir Elsaffar & The Two Rivers Ensemble
Time and Location: at A.M. Qattan Foundation in Al-Tira, Ramallah, at 8:00 p.m.
Composer, trumpeter, Persian santur player and vocalist Amir ElSaffar has been described as “uniquely poised to reconcile jazz and Arabic music” (The Wire) and “one of the most promising figures in jazz today” (The Chicago Tribune). ElSaffar is an expert trumpeter with a classical background, conversant not only in the language of contemporary jazz, but has created techniques to play microtones and ornaments idiomatic to Arabic music that are not typically heard on the trumpet. Additionally, he is a purveyor of the centuries old, now endangered, Iraqi Maqam tradition, which he performs as a vocalist and santur player.
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19 October 2019
No Tongues
Time and Location: at A.M. Qattan Foundation in Al-Tira, Ramallah, at 8:00 p.m.
No Tongues are an exciting and adventurous young French quartet who find inspiration in vocal traditions across the globe. Through instrumentals, they celebrate song cultures, whether through Northern European songs about ploughing, remote tribal Indian burial hymns, Inuit wedding songs or Siberian psalms. Their performances provide a stylistic diversity in music that can be atmospheric, trance-like and oddly shamanic.
No Tongues perform with two double basses, a trumpet, saxophone and other objects utilised to manipulate the approach of each instrument. They often perform in masks and their stage presence is both musically and visually captivating.
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24 October 2019
Jim Black’s Malamute
Time and Location: at A.M. Qattan Foundation in Al-Tira, Ramallah, at 8:00 p.m.
Drummer Jim Black is an exponent of experimental jazz at the cutting edge. An extraordinary drummer and technician who knows no bounds, his latest project brings him together with some of America’s top avant-garde players. It’s strange, different and can be utterly compelling.
Shortly after breaking into the progressive jazz scene in the 90s via his work with established musicians and ensembles, Black’s signature stylistic approach to the kit ignited much interest. Simply stated, Black has a quirky off-beat approach and an uncanny sense of time while often staying on top of the pulse, creating an atmospheric unpredictable sensation.
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25 October 2019
Lecture then perfomance: Akua Naru
Time and Location: at A.M. Qattan Foundation in Al-Tira, Ramallah.
Lecture at 6:00 p.m.
Performance at 8:00 pm.
Akua Naru is a hip pop artist, producer, activist and scholar, who theorizes the myriad experiences of Black women through rhyme along a sonic spectrum from jazz to soul. She has released four albums—three of which were on the label she co-founded, The Urban Era.
Akua Naru’s journey to global poet began in an early upbringing in the Pentecostal church. Her powerful poetic lyricism, talent for storytelling and ability to integrate historical narratives into her music with unmatched eloquence have drawn the attention of scholars and activists around the globe.