Be In Spirit : Dancecstatica on the Gaian-groove tip!
Saturday, May 3rd!
Saturday: May 3rd!
THE GROOVE GARDEN http://www.thegroovegarden.com
2398 Sir Francis Drake, Fairfax Doors 8:30 admission at the door: $15.00 all ages
DJ Dragonfly
LIVE: JEF STOTT celebrates his new album release SARACEN with special guests: Persian Vocalist Hooman Fazly Percussionist DrumSpyder
Chillspace: Makuru feat. Geofferey Gordon Manose Anastasi Mavrides Peter Warren Marty Fowler Vlad
Greetings to Those Who Groove!
This Saturday night The Groove Garden presents a truly globetrotting experience on both the dancefloor and in the chillspace!
In addition to all the Dragonfly-mixed 3rd-World (metaphorically, not categorically) scrunchy, funky roast of rippin' riddims, techy chompers, housey bumpers and dubby wonders - we have a super-special live set by DJ/Musician/Producer Jef Stott premiering his newly released tracks from "Saracen" (Six Degrees Records).
Now, to sidestep any queries regarding nepotistic journalism we will attempt to separate ourselves from the fact that Mr. Stott is a good friend of the Groove Garden, as is Six Degrees Records, and that this release is one of their finest albums: Deeply captivating, melodically mysterious and movement inspiring.
Saracen's (Saracen refers to the nomads of Syrian and Arabian deserts during the time of the Roman Empire) compositions are like freed doves: Beautiful in flight, symbolic of our yearnings, hopes and wonderment. In this instance imagine the doves are set to flight against a backdrop of twisted, crumbling casbahs and jasmine scented souks where live oud, crackling percussion and mystic vocals are tempered by deft rhythmic programming. Saracen's deep basslines bluster, grip, toss and turn with the tempos. They register as upsurges as garrulous as camels or as gentle as swells of the Arabian Sea. And on the album, Vocalists MC RAI, Reda Darwish, and Hooman Fazly meet listeners at the intersection of an exotic array of melodic and expressive instrumentation, the likes of which are an arsenal to the vocabulary of any Scrabble enthusiast: Riq, Saz, Santur, Oud, Dumbek...
Saracen live (or on the album) is not just a dance experience, or a listening experience, its a journey beyond your own horizon of flight.
Now...elsewhere:
Out the door, down the hallway of our own bazaar of beats is the chillspace: Here we have Makuru, where an epic 3-hour set is the expression will be the expression of some of the Bay Area's finest musicians. Featured this evening, we have a musical depository of some wonderful kind of nu-world trade route that sees Bansuri flute, Didgeridoo, Tablas, Electronic drums, Bass, Guitar and Vocals blend in deep, meditative ragas, swirly Asian ambience and African funky groove. Renowned percussionist Geoffrey Gordon and Nepali flute player Manose step in as special guests, joining Anastasi on guitar, Marty Fowler on bass, Jackie Castro on vocals and Peter Warren on drums!
Chill, chai and massage and treats…all on hand, all night, to serve up your needs .
