Global Grooves World Music Dance Parties in Perelman Theater Start July 9
JUNE 26, 2009
CuCu Diamantes
Jet-setting has never been easier: the Kimmel Center transports audiences to exotic soundscapes from around the world with weekly Global Grooves world music dance parties on Thursday nights from July 9 to August 6, 2009 (except July 23). Global Grooves showcases a hot lineup of world music artists in Perelman Theater, transformed into an international dance haven with a cash bar. Tickets are $20 for each show. Passport and travel gear not needed, of course.
The 2009 Global Grooves artists include East African rumba sensation Samba Mapangala and Virunga (Thursday, July 9, 2009 at 7:30pm); Cuban-born CuCu Diamantes’ New York Latin fusion (Thursday, July 16, 2009 at 7:30pm); Indian Idol judge and Bollywood singer Kailash Kher’s Kailasa (Thursday, July 30, 2009 at 7:30pm); and 10-piece Slavic Soul Party! with a high-energy Balkan brass bash (Thursday, August 6, 2009 at 7:30pm).
KIMMEL CENTER PRESENTS’ GLOBAL GROOVES SUMMER CALENDAR:
Samba Mapangala and Virunga
Thursday, July 9, 2009 at 7:30pm
Perelman Theater
Price: $20
One of East Africa’s most popular vocalists, Samba Mapangala and his band Virunga perform Congolese rumba and soukous with an earthy, Kenyan style in Perelman Theater. Singing in both Congolese Lingala and Kenyan Swahili languages, Mapangala's performances feature ultra-danceable songs with vocal harmonies, complex guitar lines, rapid-fire bass and fast-paced percussion, all with brilliant guitar and horn solos.
Samba Mapangala and Virunga’s most recent album, Live on Tour (2009), available exclusively as a download, captures an unforgettable night at Yoshi's nightclub in Oakland, Ca. The album includes "Obama Ubarikiwe" (Obama God Bless You), which Mapangala performed at an official function on President Obama's Inauguration night in Washington, D.C., in January 2009. Highlights of 2009 include an East African Tour to Zanzibar’s Sauti ya Busari festival, and summer tours of Tanzania, Kenya, North America and Europe. Mapangala’s career retrospective African Classics was released in June 2008.
Formed in 1981, the band exploded into the spotlight in East Africa following the release of the classic track "Malako," a song that reverberated across the dance floors of Africa and remains legendary to this day. In 1990, the hit was included among a number of cult Virunga classics on the album Virunga Volcano, which was later featured in Simon Broughton's World Music: 100 Essential CDs.
"Pure balm, he makes you wonder again why African music still awaits its Marley moment of global breakthrough." –The Independent (UK)
CuCu Diamantes
Thursday, July 16, 2009 at 7:30pm
Perelman Theater
Price: $20
Sassy songstress CuCu Diamantes brings New York Latin fusion to Perelman Theater for a sizzling dance party that the Washington Post calls "Smoking hot… Resistance is futile. Dance you must, and dance you will." Onstage, Diamantes performs a mix of salsa, hip-hop, funk, pop, tango, disco, flamenco and more, and even raps at high velocity, as heard on her new solo album, CuCuLand (2009).
Internationally-bred CuCu Diamantes was born in Cuba from French, Spanish, African and Chinese descent. Diamantes entered the limelight as vocalist and co-founder of the highly acclaimed Latin funk collective Yerba Buena. The band, most noted for its Afro-rooted Latin music, included a blend of nuyorican boogaloo, Afro-Cuban funk, hip-hop, and salsa. The Grammy®-nominated group also performed alongside artists ranging from the Dave Matthews Band to Ray Charles.
As a solo artist, Diamantes has collaborated with artists such as Fatboy Slim, Orishas, D’Angelo, Carlinhos Brown, MeShell NdegeOcello, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Beto Cuevas, Dead Prez and Diego El Cigala, among others. Most recently, she made a special guest appearance on Voltio’s Cristina, collaborated with Vico C and Praz on "Pa la Calle" for the Feel the Noise film soundtrack and was featured on the soundtrack for NBC’s hit show Heroes.
"There’s always a touch of sass when CuCu Diamantes sings, whether she’s bemoaning a lover’s lies, playing the gold digger or touting her inner strength…the music hopscotches across hemispheres, jubilantly fusing every idiom in its path." —New York Times
"…sassy, classy party music…trip-hop and cumbia, a touch or two of Latin balladeering, and a dose of high energy. CuCu's voice is clear as a bell but tender, too." —Washington Post
Kailash Kher’s Kailasa
Thursday, July 30, 2009 at 7:30pm
Perelman Theater
Price: $20
One of the most unique voices in Indian music today, Indian Idol judge Kailash Kher teams up with brothers Naresh and Paresh Kamath as Kailash Kher’s Kailasa to perform Sufi folk rock and funk musings on stage in Perelman Theater.
Fixtures of the Indian rock and jazz scene, the band’s musical influences include Kailash’s strong traditional Sufi folk sensibilities and lyrics, paired alongside Naresh and Paresh’s more modern rock, electronic and funk beats. The group has released critically and commercially acclaimed albums Kailasa and Jhommo Re and toured worldwide to sold-out audiences. Kailash Kher’s Kailasa’s third album Kailasa Chaandan Mein (Kailasa in Moonlight) is scheduled for release in 2009.
From a humble upbringing outside New Delhi, Kailash Kher caught his first break with an advertising jingle for the diamond company Nakshatra. Soon after the recording of a handful of jingles, the raw, earthy and soulful strength of his voice - often compared to the late Qawwali maestro Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - caught the attention of every production house and film composer in Mumbai. By 2004, Kailash was propelled into the spotlight after performing on some of Bollywood’s biggest hit movies. Since 2001, his credits include more than 60 different film soundtracks and nearly 200 jingles.
Slavic Soul Party!
Thursday, August 6, 2009 at 7:30pm
Perelman Theater
Price: $20
"Some of the most danceable Balkan-flavored pop this side of the Adriatic." –Global Rhythm magazine
"A reputation for delivering a great time" –New York Times
Dubbing themselves "NYC’s No. 1 Brass Band for Balkan-Soul-Gypsy-Funk," Slavic Soul Party! performs fiery Balkan brass, American funk and jazz with the passionate vocals of Eva Salina Primack. Led by percussionist Matt Moran, who was trained at the New England Conservatory of Music, the 10-piece ensemble is comprised of gadjo and Gypsy, black and white, male and female counterparts, all reflected in its eclectic music.
Slavic Soul Party! has a weekly residency at Brooklyn’s Barbes, an intimate music spot showcasing world music acts, where the band has gained a huge following. The band has notably performed in Istanbul with Karandila Orkestar, New York City at Irving Plaza with Gogol Bordello, Washington, D.C. at the Kennedy Center, and across the United States on the Warped Tour. Their albums include Bigger (2006), Teknocheck Collision (2007) and Remixed (2008), available as a download only. A fourth album is scheduled for release in September 2009.
"Of all the NYC dance bands that draw on Eastern European music, Slavic Soul Party! is the coolest… Live, the band's members prove they are acutely aware of the common principle that unites the traditions they borrow from: Music out to move you." –Time Out New York
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Tickets for Global Grooves can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at www.kimmelcenter.org/global, or at the Kimmel Center box office open daily from 10am to 6pm and later on performance evenings. (Additional fees may apply.) For group sales call 215-790-5883.
A limited number of $10 tickets are available for every Kimmel Center Presents performance at the Kimmel Center. Tickets go on sale the day of the event and can be purchased at the Kimmel Center box office beginning at 5:30pm prior to curtain time and 11:30am for matinees. Limit one ticket per person.
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Kimmel Center Presents' 2009-10 Season is sponsored by Citi. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Kimmel Center Presents. NBC-10 is a media partner for Kimmel Center Presents.
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