MUSIC Forum at canaaninstitute.org

Mike_L · Joined: 06 Apr 2006 Posts: 4996 Location: Canaan Jam Host

Crossing Borders LIVE
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.......WVBR’s Crossing Borders Radio Concert Series and the City of Ithaca present the First Annual Cinco de Mayo Community Celebration on Saturday, May 5th, featuring a dance festival with Alex Torres and his Latin Orchestra from 7 to 11pm at CSMA (Community School of Music and Arts) in the Third floor performance space. Dance workshops preceding the main event include a merengue workshop with Jorge Cuevas at 1pm, and a salsa dance lesson with Kurt Lichtmann at 7pm. Crossing Borders LIVE will broadcast the orchestra performance simultaneously on 93.5FM beginning at 8PM and can be heard online at wvbr.com or www.crossingborderslive.org. The Mexican holiday celebration is partially supported by the Tompkins County Tourism Program, the Community Arts Partnership, and the Cornell Latin American Students Program, and organized by Crossing Borders volunteers. The event is free and open to the public, though individual donations and raffle sales will be encouraged to meet expenses. Mexican cuisine refreshments will also be available for purchase.

Alex Torres y su orquestra, formed in 1980 and based in Amsterdam, New York, has acquired a huge fan base throughout the state since the first of eight CDs, Noche Habanera, was released in 1995. The band has been producing a new CD coming out almost yearly ever since. The most recent Cd, 25 to Life, has sparked energetic reviews and intense performance demands.

Led by the Bronx-born bassist Alex Torres, the 13 piece orchestra plays over 100 shows per year performing popular Afro-Caribbean rhythms such as Salsa, Merengue, Cha-cha, Bomba, Plena and Latin Jazz. They have been the recipients of numerous awards including the Albany – Schenectady League of Arts Award, The Governor’s Excellence in Arts Award, The NAACP Albany Chapter Award, Metro land Magazine’s “Best Of Award” for seven consecutive years, New York State Music Achievement Award and the New England Cultural Arts Preservation Award.

Alex Torres & His Latin Orchestra have performed for President and Hillary Clinton at the New York State Democratic Convention and also for New York Governor George Pataki’s Inauguration. They recently played Governor Spitzer’s Inaugural Ball as well. They have shared the stage with Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, Los Hermanos Moreno, Arturo Sandoval, Luis “Perico” Ortiz, Ray Barretto, Jane Burnette & the Spirits of Havana, Larry Harlowe, Tito Nieves, Jerry Gónzalez & The Fort Apache Band, King Changó, The Count Basie and Woody Herman Orchestras. The band is also registered with the Arts-In-Education Program in New York State; members of the band participate in school programs to showcase and explain the music and the instruments and rhythms associated with it. Additionally, the group taped a full length television commercial for The Albany Times Union Newspaper and performed their original music for the PBS weekly program “Just Down The Road.” See review excerpts below of performances by Alex Torres y su orquestra. The artist website is: www.alextorres.com.

Prior to the orchestra performance, a salsa class lesson will be conducted at 7 pm by Kurt Lichtmann and partner. The dance lesson will incorporate some important background on the African and Hispanic roots of the music and dance, and the dance portion will include some modern lady's styling and lead-follow technique, not just steps! Since the orchestra repertoire is heavy on salsa, the dance lesson will focus on salsa, but will also include a 2 minute demo of salsa merengue, and bachata at the start so participants can see and hear the difference. Lichtmann is a member of the Tompkins County Latino Civic Association. A graduate of Ithaca College's Masters Program in Music Education, he teaches dance at Cornell, and downtown at Island Health and Fitness. He is a huge fan of latin music and dance. His dance website is www.ithacadance.com .

Earlier in the day, a merengue workshop is offered at 1 pm by Jorge Cuevas. Known as front man and leader of various ensembles including the Caribe Jazz All Stars, the 9 piece latin band Rising Sign, and Jorge’s Percussion Ensemble, Cuevas has been teaching percussion and dance workshops since 1989. He is known also for video productions and as a DJ.

The festivities, while spotlighting Caribbean rhythms this year, are intended to launch a yearly opportunity to explore Latin musical culture via the popular Mexican holiday, Cinco de Mayo, which is celebrated extensively throughout North America. Crossing Borders is committed to making live quality multicultural music accessible to an entire community. The First Annual Cinco de Mayo Community Celebration is an example of that commitment. For more information about Crossing Borders and for upcoming performances, go to: www.crossingborderslive.org. Below, see review quotes of performances by Alex Torres and his Latin Orchestra:

“….They play like sunlight bursting through rain clouds.”
- Schenectady Gazette

“…I have never seen an act that so accurately reflects a culture’s music and yet targets a mainstream audience, combining education with exciting entertainment.”- The Chronicle

“….their masterful performance is a testament both to the burgeoning popularity of the music and to the indomitable skills of the band.”
– The Post-Star

“…when the concert ended and the musicians began to stow their instruments, the audience arose and began a gradual sound that turned into a tidal “more, more!” – Springfield Recorder

“…the moment I will cherish most was watching people of all cultures and colors dancing, transfixed by the Latin rhythms of Alex Torres & the Latin Kings.” – BLUESprint

“…they deserved, in every conceivable way, the screaming standing ovation they received at the close of their set…this isn’t a band or a record, it’s a mission.” – Metroland Magazine
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Michael Ludgate - forum administrator
The Canaan Institute http://www.canaaninstitute.org/

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Mike_L · Joined: 06 Apr 2006 Posts: 4996 Location: Canaan Jam Host

From Alan Rose ...

I'm playing Crossing Borders this Saturday, August 18. It'll be a
roughly one hour sometime between 8 and 10 PM at Pancho Villa on
Meadow St. I'm splitting the bill with teen jazz sensations
Supernatural (Chad Lefkowitz-Brown on Sax, Christian Li on Piano,
Walter Stimson on Bass, and Russ Sternglass on Drums). I'll be solo
for the first time in a while. It's the first Crossing Borders show
in this venue. It should be going out live over WVBR (93.5 FM or
listen live via the web: http://wvbr.com), assuming the ISDN line was
hooked up properly. If not, it will air at a later date. There's
probably a small cover charge. Sorry for the short notice on this
one, but the details just came together.
_________________
Michael Ludgate - forum administrator
The Canaan Institute http://www.canaaninstitute.org/

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Mike_L · Joined: 06 Apr 2006 Posts: 4996 Location: Canaan Jam Host

www.17hippies.com/info
www.crossingborderslive.org

Please forward to anyone who may be interested.

Saturday, September 22, 8-10 pm
Upstairs at Pancho Villa, aka, Club 360
Presented by Crossing Borders and Sonic Planet
Tickets, $10 in advance at Ithaca Guitar Works, Volume Records, McNeil
Music Center, and Small World Music
$15 at the door.

For the past 12 years Berlin’s very own ‘orchester spezial’, the 17
HIPPIES, have been playing their whirling, crashing, diving, bobbing
and weaving mixture of music from around the world, all over Europe …
and beyond. Imagine a mix of Eastern melodies, Balkan rhythms, French
chanson, Anglo song writing, Cajun tunes, all perfectly blended
together, creating their own unique "Berlin Style“ of ... yes ... pop
music. Oh, and they sing in German, English and French. They stop in
Ithaca on their first tour of the USA. Please give them a warm
welcome...

Aron Gutman, co-host

Sonic Planet - Saturdays 5-7pm (EST)
WICB - Ithaca - 91.7 fm
Hanna Broadcast Center
Ithaca, NY 14850
607-274-3217
www.wicb.org
_________________
Michael Ludgate - forum administrator
The Canaan Institute http://www.canaaninstitute.org/

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Mike_L · Joined: 06 Apr 2006 Posts: 4996 Location: Canaan Jam Host

Hi,

London McDaniel and I have a concert this Saturday, 8-10 p.m., the
Crossing Borders live radio series on WVBR at Pancho Villa, 602 W. State
St. (at Route 13/Meadow St.), $8.

If you can't make it, please listen at home on your radio or computer:
http://wvbr.com:9010/index.php?page=listen

London and I are grateful, excited to be discovering such a musical
experience together. Tonight we had a photographic experience, shot by
Simon Wheeler. The new photo of us is at my website and myspace profile,
and there's an invitation at Facebook. London is an awesome collaborator,
with such cool musical ideas on backing vocals, guitars, bass, banjos and
dobro.

Linda

Ghost Cat Records
http://www.LindaStout.com
http://www.sonicbids.com/LindaStout
http://www.myspace.com/lindastout
_________________
Michael Ludgate - forum administrator
The Canaan Institute http://www.canaaninstitute.org/

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Mike_L · Joined: 06 Apr 2006 Posts: 4996 Location: Canaan Jam Host

Two chances to experience Shoaghaken Armenian Folk Ensemble next week!

Ithaca.WVBR's live radio broadcast concert series, 'Crossing Borders' teams up with the City of Ithaca, the Coddington Guest House, and the Carriage House Cafe Hayloft to present two special events featuring the Shoghaken Armenian Folk Ensemble as part of the 2008 US Tour. The world acclaimed ensemble of Armenia's foremost musicians and vocalists will appear twice:

1. Wednesday, Jan 23: A Community Culture Fest: The Armenian Story Part 1 - dance workshop and community dance 7pm at the Upstairs Club at Pancho Villa, 602 West State Street. (dance instruction begins at 6:30pm.) Admission is free and open to the public (donations welcomed), made possible through a Tompkins Country Tourism Community Heritage Grant. Explore the culture of Armenia through it's dance music.

2. Thursday night, Jan 24th: An intimate performance dinner package, the Carriage House Cafe Hayloft, 304 Stewart Avenue. Enjoy an intimate dining experience while listening to Armenia's greatest musicians. Dinner seating is from 6 to 7:30, performance at 7:30, with dessert and beverage service throughout the performance. The dinner and concert package priced at $32 includes a choice of three entrees and either soup or salad, plus the performance. 'Concert only' tickets are $15. Reservations for either the dinner package or concert only tickets can be made by calling the Carriage House Cafe at 645-0152 or online at: www.carriagehousecafe.com.

The Shoghaken Armenian Folk Ensemble is considered the preeminent traditional music ensemble in Armenia. The eight piece ensemble was founded in 1991 by the world's greatest living duduk player, Gevorg Gourgeni Dabaghyan, who can be heard on numerous film soundtracks, and whose collaboration with Yo-Yo Ma on the Silk Road Project led to the ensemble's first US appearance by the ensemble in 2002 at the Silk Road Festival in Washington D.C. His solo recording was singled out for the AFIM "Best World Music Cd and the Year" award in 1997, and the group's 2003 Cd, Armenia Anthology, (Traditional Crossroads label) won the NARM Award for Best World Music Recording of the year. Shoghaken has performed extensively throughout Europe, Armenia and the former Soviet Union and recorded for the soundtrack of Atom Egoyan's film, Ararat.

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_________________
Michael Ludgate - forum administrator
The Canaan Institute http://www.canaaninstitute.org/

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Mike_L · Joined: 06 Apr 2006 Posts: 4996 Location: Canaan Jam Host

Hi all,

Evil City Stringband will play at Lost Dog Saturday night starting at 8.

We are nearly finished mixing our new CD!

Also, check out a clip from Tuesday night at Maxies with Kevin Wimmer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNG5VMt2v8w

Saturday night will be broadcast on WVBR 93.5 in Ithaca

The Evil City Stringband is:
Richie Stearns on banjo
Steve Selin on Fiddle
Pat Burke on guitar
Ben Gould on Doghouse Bass

You can listen Saturday at 8PM online at
http://wvbr.com
_________________
Michael Ludgate - forum administrator
The Canaan Institute http://www.canaaninstitute.org/

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Mike_L · Joined: 06 Apr 2006 Posts: 4996 Location: Canaan Jam Host

Alash Ensemble and the Evil City String Band
Tuvan Throat Singing meets Old Time Americana

Friday, March 27, 2009
8:00pm - 11:55pm
Lost Dog Lounge
Tickets: $15 advance
Ithaca, NY

alashensemble@gmail.com
One Night Only!
seating is limited...advance tickets are available

Alash (recently featured on Bela Fleck and the Flecktones holiday release) meets Ithaca's own Evil City String Band.... what more is there to say.....

Join us for this unique collaboration featuring solos, duets, Evil City set, Alash set and combined works.

Aside from having these two groups in your own living room, this is the next best thing!

Alash: http://www.alashensemble.com
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1014950153#/pages/Alash-Ensemble/40521661008?ref=ts

ALASH are masters of Tuvan throat singing
(xöömei), a remarkable technique for singing multiple pitches at the same time. One can find
complex harmonies, western instruments, and
contemporary song forms in Alash’s music, but its
overall sound and spirit is decidedly Tuvan.
Alash appeared as guest artists on a new CD by Grammy winning Béla Fleck & the Flecktones ("Jingle All the Way," released fall of 2008), and are fresh off of a fall tour with the Flecktones to support that collaboration.

Evil City String Band:
from their earliest incarnation on the east texas carnival circuit to their current residence in the brackish backwaters of the empire state, the wounded yelp of ECT has spread its bastard seed far and wide, shakin em down with high rollers and confederate war brides alike... like a midget butler with an axe to grind, their performance comes without apologies, injecting ragged honkey hymns with qualudes and grease paint..

pass the word and come on out.
_________________
Michael Ludgate - forum administrator
The Canaan Institute http://www.canaaninstitute.org/

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