|
Tour Dates
07/15/11 Grass Valley, CA - WorldFest
07/16/11 SF, CA - Grand Ballroom 07/20/11 Los Angeles, CA - The Echo 07/22/11 Tucson, AZ - Club Congress 07/24/11 Denver, CO - Underground 07/27/11 Co Springs, CO - Armstrong Quad Read More
Khaira Arby and Her Band is from Mali (West Africa), and have just received Mali's highest musical honor, 2011 Tamani D'Or Award. Khaira Arby and Her Band has been wowing audiences with their appearances at SXSW.
|
The Cedar Cultural Center is really the only venue in its class that constantly promote and encourage World Music and make it affordable for everyday people. This year's West Africa West Bank concert series has been pretty amazing so far, with acts like Tinariwen having just came through town.
From the looks of things, Khaira Arby will be the last West Africa West Bank band until September, when we see Vieux Farka Touré (Sep 11) and Ballaké Sissoko (Sep 20).
Opening band for Khaira Arby was Delicate Steve, who I couldn't wrap my head around an all-instrumental spacey surf band playing with this Africana-rock sound of Khaira Arby and Her Band. But as I watch Steve and his band play, I realized that Steve's music fits perfectly with Arby's band.
During one of Delicate Steve's songs (maybe "Z Expression"?), he had Arby's band come on stage to help play the song. Steve would later return the favor by coming on stage for Khaira Arby on three songs.
Please refer to the setlist if you were curious what was played.
Khaira Arby and Her Band came on stage dressed in traditional loose-fitting Mali garb with head covering. Even before Arby came on stage, the sound check was pretty awesome, so everyone knew we were in for a treat.
So, the first thing that hits you when Khaira Arby sings is that she has an amazing voice. It's loud and it's powerful. Singing style, for some reason, I found it to sound very similar to Indian (East Asia), but sung in French and Bambara.
The instruments played were the traditional guitars, bass, and drums, except that they also had a calabash on stage. A calabash is actually a fruit that, when hollowed out and dried, are used as drinking canteens (as seen in old Chinese movies) or used as a percussion instrument. The one on stage was cut in half, with a microphone under the dome, and it produces a loud thumping sound or click-a-dee sound when tapped with sticks.
They ended their set with an extra long song that introduces everyone on stage. You can tell the band was already wrapping things up and ready to call it a night, but the audience was asking for one more song. So Arby indulged us with one last song.
Khaira Arby's latest album is called Timbuktu Tarab, and is out now. She is wrapping up her tour on the West coast this week.
|
|
During one of Delicate Steve's songs (maybe "Z Expression"?), he had Arby's band come on stage to help play the song. Steve would later return the favor by coming on stage for Khaira Arby on three songs.
Please refer to the setlist if you were curious what was played.
Khaira Arby and Her Band came on stage dressed in traditional loose-fitting Mali garb with head covering. Even before Arby came on stage, the sound check was pretty awesome, so everyone knew we were in for a treat.
So, the first thing that hits you when Khaira Arby sings is that she has an amazing voice. It's loud and it's powerful. Singing style, for some reason, I found it to sound very similar to Indian (East Asia), but sung in French and Bambara.
The instruments played were the traditional guitars, bass, and drums, except that they also had a calabash on stage. A calabash is actually a fruit that, when hollowed out and dried, are used as drinking canteens (as seen in old Chinese movies) or used as a percussion instrument. The one on stage was cut in half, with a microphone under the dome, and it produces a loud thumping sound or click-a-dee sound when tapped with sticks.
They ended their set with an extra long song that introduces everyone on stage. You can tell the band was already wrapping things up and ready to call it a night, but the audience was asking for one more song. So Arby indulged us with one last song.
Khaira Arby's latest album is called Timbuktu Tarab, and is out now. She is wrapping up her tour on the West coast this week.
|
Khaira Arby at Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (07/13/11) |
)
Comments