Grand Central. November 10, 2012, 9:00 p.m.
International music sensation Yemen Blues will dazzle Miami audiences for the first time with an eclectic brew of West African grooves, American jazz, blues, and funk, presented by Miami Dade College’s (MDC) MDC Live Arts series, one night only at 9 p.m., Saturday, November 10th, at Grand Central in Downtown Miami.
This nine-piece Israeli-American group has recently taken the international music scene by storm. Conceived from vocalist Ravid Kahalani’s vision, Yemen Blues combines music of Yemen, located on the Arabian Peninsula, and West Africa with contemporary grooves from funk to mambo and the deep soul of traditional chants. Conjuring up a rich and diverse aural palette with the use of percussion, oud, horns, and string instruments, the group coexists both in the past and the present, at once timeless and modern.
Kalahani creates what he calls “moments of soul” for audiences, swooping from clear falsetto into a gravelly baritone, switching from Yemenite Arabic to Hebrew to Haitian Creole. Growing up singing Yemenite chants at synagogue, he would also make up songs in invented languages. As a young teen he left home and discovered a world of other sounds, including soul, blues and West African pop. He spent hours alone listening to music, absorbing everything, searching for resonance in Delta blues voices that reminded him of his own Yemenite heritage.
He sings about his love for the desert, the unity of language and experience, about gratitude for life’s gifts. Songs like “Baraca” and “Min Kalbi” exclaim, “Your language is my language.”
“It doesn’t matter to which god you pray, so long as the melody comes from heart. This is exactly what I want to sing all the time, what I want to give people when I sing,” Kalahani said.
Yemen Blues has performed extensively for audiences across the globe. Top musicians from around the world are taking notice as well. Ravid’s unmistakable voice was featured on Matisyahu’s upcoming record, Spark Seeker. Yemen Blues plans to release a new record in the second quarter of 2013.
Tickets are $20 in advance / $25 at the door for the general public; and $10 for MDC students, who must show valid identification. To purchase tickets, please call 305.237.3010, or visit www.mdclivearts.org.
MDC Live Arts at Grand Central
697 North Miami Ave
Miami, FL 33136
305.237.3010
www.mdclivearts.org
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