World Music and Dance are combined at UCLA Live. In an unparalleled 07/08 World Music Series, UCLA Live features a West Coast premiere and a concert exclusive, plus a special World Music and Dance Series, presenting two highly anticipated U.S. premieres. Showcasing global superstars and cultural ambassadors of music and dance from the streets to the world stage, both series were curated by UCLA Live Director David Sefton, who travels the planet to bring to Los Angeles artists of vision, depth and quality. The border-busting programs run November 2007 to April 2008, highlighting an array of companies from Armenia, Britain, Central Asia, Egypt, Indonesia, Israel, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Senegal, Spain and South Africa.
Four seminal African artists headline the series, including the Johannesburg-born music and trumpet icon Hugh Masekela with his nine-member Chissa All-Stars; Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour, selected as one of Time magazine’s 2007 “100 Most Influential People”; celebrated Beninese singer-songwriter Angelique Kidjo, today’s most popular contemporary female African artist; and the triumphant Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars, catapulted to international fame by the award-winning 2005 documentary.
Ancient meets modern in Spiritual Sounds of Central Asia, featuring 18 musicians—many of them making their U.S. debuts—from a former Soviet region closed to the west for 70 years; revered brothers, Mehr and Sher Ali performing Sufi-infused devotional Qawwali Music of Pakistan; Israeli keyboardist Idan Raichel and his collective fusing Middle Eastern mysticism and Caribbean and Ethiopian rhythms; and Canada’s groundbreaking guitarist Michael Brook and Armenia’s greatest living musician, Djivan Gasparyan, reuniting on stage for the first time in 10 years.
The four-event World Music and Dance Series heralds a spectrum of talent in a wide-ranging lineup of diverse musicians, dancers and disciplines. From Gamelan Cudamani, a creative force in the ceremonies of its native Bali, and the explosive footwork of legendary Seville-based Ballet Flamenco Eva Yerbabuena in the U.S. premiere of “Santo y Sea” (Signs and Wonders) to the return of ever-popular Peru Negro, and the U.S. premiere of Leila Haddad and The Ghawazee Musicians of Luxor, Upper Egypt with “Gypsy Dances from Rajasthan to the Nile,” this is an unequalled opportunity to experience passionate music and movement drawn from the spiritual heart of each company’s country of origin.
All performances will be held at Royce Hall on the UCLA campus. Series and Choose-Your-Own subscriptions consist of multiple events sold at a discount when applicable, and are on sale now. Single tickets are on sale as of July 23 (July 16 for current subscribers and donors). To purchase tickets visit www.UCLALive.org or call 310-825-2101 .
UCLA LIVE’S 07/08 WORLD MUSIC CONCERTS
UCLA LIVE EXCLUSIVE
Thursday, Nov. 1, 2007, at 8 p.m., Royce Hall
Day of the Dead Celebration with Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano and special guest Eugenia Leon
Distinctively Mexican, yet universal in appeal, this vibrant Day of the Dead fiesta features L.A.’s famed Grammy-winning mariachi ensemble, Los Camperos de Nati Cano. Led by visionary “traditionalist” Cano, the event also highlights special guest Eugenia Leon, Mexico’s dazzling diva and vocalist known for her expressive range and versatile repertoire of rancheras, boleros and tangos.
Friday, Nov. 2 at 8 p.m., Royce Hall
Spiritual Sounds of Central Asia—“Nomads, Mystics and Troubadours”
Spiritual Sounds of Central Asia showcases some of the most exotic musical traditions in “Nomads, Mystics and Troubadours.” Performing against a vibrant backdrop of projected images, the concert includes the legendary mugham singer Alim Qasimov and his ensemble, trance-inducing songs by the seven-person Badakhshan Ensemble and the once taboo, all-female ensemble The Bardic Divas.
Thursday, Nov. 15 at 8 p.m., Royce Hall
The Idan Raichel Project
Led by Israeli keyboardist-composer Idan Raichel and including musicians from Israel’s Ethiopian, Arab, Yemenite and Caribbean communities, the Idan Raichel Project captivates audiences with a dynamic fusion of Ethiopian folk music, Middle Eastern mysticism and Caribbean rhythms. Their triple-platinum selling, self-titled debut album was released to world-wide raves in 2006.
Saturday, Dec. 1 at 8 p.m., Royce Hall
Youssou N’Dour
Performing new music from his upcoming release, Senegalese musical icon Youssou N’Dour, dubbed “the protector of today’s Dakar Overgroove,” with his enthralling world-pop fusion, is one of the most exciting and universally appealing musicians since Bob Marley.
U.S. EXCLUSIVE
Saturday, Dec. 15 at 8 p.m., Royce Hall
An Evening with Michael Brook and Djivan Gasparyan
Armenian musical great Djivan Gasparyan and Canadian guitarist Michael Brook reunite in the premiere of music from their new collaborative CD, the first since their 1998 “Black Rock.” Performing separately and together, the Grammy-nominated Gasparyan is a master of the ancient duduk (an oboe-like instrument) and Brook is hailed as one of the most inventive and multifaceted forces in the music industry, known for his numerous film scores and work with the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
Saturday, Feb. 9, 2008, at 8 p.m., Royce Hall
Hugh Masekela’s Chissa All-Stars
South African born trumpeter and flugelhornist Hugh Masekela will be joined by his Chissa All-Stars, a roster of world-class musicians, including Afro-pop diva Sibongile Khumalo, young kwaito singer Corlea and afro-jazz performer Khaya Mahlangu.
Saturday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m., Royce Hall
Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars—Film and Concert
The Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars perform their soul-lifting fusion of traditional West African music, reggae and folk music, following a screening of the award-winning 2005 documentary that tells the triumphant story of six musicians who escaped the horrific violence of civil war, landed in a West African refugee camp and found solace and inspiration through music.
Wednesday, March 12 at 8 p.m., Royce Hall
Angelique Kidjo
With Special Guest Dengue Fever
The electrifying Benin-born, Brooklyn-based vocalist Angelique Kidjo performs songs from “Djin Djin,” her new star-studded album with guest performances by Alicia Keys, Joss Stone, Ziggy Marley and Peter Gabriel. The four-time Grammy nominee creates an Afro-funk fusion blending African grooves with Euro-pop, R&B, electronica and Caribbean music. L.A.’s own offbeat Dengue Fever opens with their blend of ’60s Cambodian pop, American surf and psychedelic rock.
Thursday, April 24 at 8 p.m., Royce Hall
Mehr & Sher Ali —“Qawwali Music of Pakistan”
Revered as two of the world’s finest Qawwali musicians, brothers Mehr and Sher Ali strive to create a direct channel to divine union through the purity of their singing and warm resonance on the tabla. In the joyous “Qawwali Music of Pakistan,” the pair celebrate the ecstatic devotional music of the Sufis, made popular by Pakistani star Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
UCLA LIVE’S 07/08 WORLD MUSIC & DANCE SERIES
Sunday, Nov. 18, 2007, at 7 p.m., Royce Hall
Gamelan Cudamani—“Odalan Bali: An Offering of Music & Dance”
The renowned gamelan ensemble Cudamani creates emotional and energetic works that transport audiences into a vibrant world inspired by Bali’s timeless cycles of ceremony. Following its successful 2005 U.S. tour, this acclaimed troupe of musicians and dancers returns with an exquisite synthesis of music, dance and spectacle that vibrantly captures the splendor of the Balinese temple festival.
U.S. PREMIERE
Wednesday–Thursday, Feb. 6–7, 2008, at 8 p.m., Royce Hall
Ballet Flamenco Eva Yerbabuena—“Santo y Sea” (Signs and Wonders)
One of the most exciting contemporary flamenco dancers, Eva Yerbabuena and her company ignite the stage with explosive footwork and stylish syncopations in a fiery new production accompanied by a live ensemble. Winner of many Spanish choreographic awards and the Premio Nacional de Danza 2001, Yerbabuena was featured in Stomp’s award-winning IMAX film “Pulse,” Mike Figgis’ documentary “Flamenco Women” and has also performed with dance legend Pina Bausch.
Saturday, March 15 at 8 p.m., Royce Hall
Per Negro
Acclaimed in Peru for more than 35 years and a leader in the revival of the country’s traditional music, PerNegro is a vibrant song and dance ensemble that defines the infectious grooves, melodic guitar and passionate singing of Afro-Peruvian music. The group returns to UCLA Live with new songs from its anticipated follow-up to the Grammy-nominated CD “Jolgorio.”
U.S. PREMIERE
Thursday, March 22 at 8 p.m., Royce Hall
Leila Haddad & The Ghawazee Musicians of Luxor, Upper Egypt—
“Gypsy Dances from Rajasthan to the Nile”
Tunisian-born Leila Haddad, one of the premier performers of Raqs el Sharki or Oriental dance, dazzles in a mesmerizing dialogue between the ancient traditions of the Kabelyas of Rajasthan, India, and the Ghawazee (Gypsy) dances of Upper Egypt. The sophisticated production features accompaniment by the renowned Ghawazee musicians, exquisite handmade costumes and nuanced lighting.
Tickets: Series and Choose-Your-Own subscriptions consist of multiple events sold at a discount when applicable, and are on sale now. Single tickets are on sale as of July 23 (July 16 for current subscribers and donors). Tickets may be purchased online at www.UCLALive.org, via phone at 310-825-2101 , in person at the UCLA Central Ticket Office at the southwest corner of the James West Alumni Center, and at all Ticketmaster outlets.
Superstars of the Global Stage Are Showcased in UCLA Live’s 07/08 World Music Series and a Special World Music and Dance Series
