Kimmel Center Presents’ Global Grooves World Music Dance Parties Hit
June 12, 2008
Bring Your Friends, Grab a Drink, Get Up & Dance!
Tickets Now on Sale
Kimmel Center Presents brings a welcoming respite from the dog days of summer starting Thursday, July 10, 2008 when the popular world music dance parties return with weekly Global Grooves shows in Perelman Theater. Global Grooves series showcases a hot lineup of international bands in the Perelman Theater, which is transformed into a nightclub with an open dance floor and cash bar. Guests experience the exotic beats of foreign locales while dancing to music ranging from hard-edged Algerian raï to the funky good times of a James Brown tribute. Tickets range from $20 to $25.
Artists featured this year include Rachid Taha performing Algerian raï fused with techno, rock and punk (Thursday, July 10, 2008 at 7:30pm); Pistolera bringing Latin-alt folklorico music with a pop-rock sensibility (Thursday, July 17, 2008 at 7:30pm); high energy gypsy brass band Boban i Marko Markovic Orkestar performing a trailblazing mix of Balkan-Latin-jazz-pop (Thursday, July 24, 2008 at 7:30pm); and Still Black, Still Proud: An African Tribute to James Brown with special guests Cheikh Lo and Vieux Farka Toure performing classic soul and funk with an African twist and featuring original James Brown band members (Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 7:30pm).
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 2.5 hours prior to curtain time and 11:30am for matinees. Limit one ticket per person.
KIMMEL CENTER PRESENTS’ GLOBAL GROOVES SUMMER CALENDAR:
Global Grooves World Music Dance Party
Rachid Taha
Thursday, July 10, 2008 | 7:30pm
Perelman Theater
Price: $20
Algerian worldbeat artist Rachid Taha creates a musical melting pot in Perelman Theater on Thursday, July 10, 2008 at 7:30pm, incorporating everything from traditional Arab zithers to modern electric guitars. A former member of the hit French rock trio Carte de Séjour, Taha mixes Algerian raï music with Western flavors, often performed in Arabic. In 2008, Taha won the BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music in the Middle East & North Africa. His latest album The Definitive Collection (2007) features Taha’s greatest hits, including "Ya Rayah," "Nokta" and an Arabic version of The Clash’s classic "Rock The Casbah."
Global Grooves World Music Dance Party
Pistolera
Thursday, July 17, 2008 | 7:30pm
Perelman Theater
Price: $20
New York based quartet Pistolera takes audiences south of the border with a blend of "soulful ranchera, peppy cumbia and Spanish lyrics" (Boston Globe) on Thursday, July 17, 2008 at 7:30pm in Perelman Theater. The electrifying ensemble draws its influences from traditional Mexican music, fused with a pop-rock sensibility. The band features the Spanish songs of vocalist and guitarist Sandra Lilia Velásquez, the driving accordion melodies of Maria Elena and the unbeatable rhythm section of bassist Inca B. Satz and drummer Ani Cordero. Pistolera follows their debut album, Siempre Hay Salida (2006), with En Este Camino, scheduled for release in August 2008.
"Pistolera melds the sass of indie rock with traditional Latin sounds to create compelling pop melodies, all of it sung entirely in Spanish."
Global Grooves World Music Dance Party
Boban i Marko Markovic Orkestar
Thursday, July 24, 2008 | 7:30pm
Perelman Theater
Price: $20
Festive gypsy brass band Boban i Marko Markovic Orkestar ignites an "unbeatable Balkan dance party" (Songlines) in Perelman Theater on Thursday, July 24, 2008 at 7:30pm. Hailed as the greatest of Balkan trumpeters, Boban Markovic, the legendary native of Serbia’s gypsy brass heartland, has led his 13-piece Orkestar to international acclaim, enhancing the traditional repertoire with elements of jazz, Latin and pop, among others. Boban and his son Marko lead the Orkestar into new directions with their trail-blazing musical mix, which the New York Times calls a "…a stunning blast of exuberance and virtuosity."
"With nods to klezmer, jazz, Latin and deep-fried funk injected into the mix, the Boban Markovic Orkestar knows where their music’s been but they’re hell-bent on sling-shotting it straight into the future."
Global Grooves World Music Dance Party
Thursday, August 21, 2008 | 7:30pm
Still Black, Still Proud: An African Tribute to James Brown
Perelman Theater
Price: $25
Pancontinental funk/soul ensemble Still Black, Still Proud delivers an explosive African Tribute to James Brown on Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 7:30pm in Perelman Theater. The extraordinary line-up of international talent celebrates the legacy of the Godfather of Soul, performing with original James Brown band members led by Pee Wee Ellis and Fred Wesley. The ensemble recently made its world premiere at the Brighton Festival, garnering an award for Best Musical Event of 2008. Special guests Senegalese vocalist Cheikh Lo and Malian vocalist Vieux Farka Toure will join the ensemble on stage to perform Brown’s timeless hits, such as "I Feel Good" and "Gonna Have a Funky Good Time."
"Crackling energy combined with an expertly tight set…[Still Black, Still Proud] proceeded to whip the crowd into a frenzy with their funky creations… Pure soul satisfaction."
Kimmel Center Presents’ 2008/2009 Season is sponsored by Citi. The Great Orchestra Series is supported by ARCWheeler. Additional support is provided by the University of Pennsylvania Health System, American Express, and Interpark. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Kimmel Center Presents. In-kind support is generously provided by Deloitte. NBC-10 is a media partner for Kimmel Center Presents.
Free in the Plaza programming and subsidized tickets offered to the community and social service groups for $10 are made possible through the Wachovia Gateway to the Arts Community Access Program, supported by a generous grant from the Wachovia Foundation.
The Kimmel Center is the recipient of partnership funding through the nationally recognized PNC "Grow Up Great" initiative, a ten-year, $100 million investment in preparing children for success in school and life. Funding gives support to the Kimmel Center’s early childhood program "Bop and Swing", an arts program for children 1-5 years old, designed to promote an appreciation for American culture.
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