Tag Archives: Ashkenaz
Zongo Junction: Drawing inspiration from Berkeley roots
The 12-piece Brooklyn Afrobeat band Zongo Junction plays hard-hitting West African funk inspired by grooves emanating from Nigeria, Ghana, and Benin, but the group’s roots extend directly to Berkeley. Founded by drummer Charles Ferguson after a six-month sojourn in Ghana, the band features several of his fellow Berkeley High jazz band buddies, including keyboardist Eli Sundelson and bassist Noah Garabedian.
A California tour brings Zongo Junction to Berkeley on Saturday for a gig at Ashkenaz (see them in action in video above).
“I think the biggest influence that the BHS jazz program had on us and the band’s sound was the diversity of music we would play,” Ferguson said. “Charles Hamilton, the band director, opened a lot of us up to a ton of different styles of music, as did a bunch of other guys in the area we all took lessons with (like Josh Jones, Peter Apfelbaum, Wil Blades). We would go to these high school jazz festivals where other bands were just playing boring straight ahead jazz tunes. We would play Tower of Power, Duke Ellington and Mongo Santamaria all in the same set.” … Continue reading »
Baez joins Aya Omac for “memorable night” at Ashkenaz
Richard Nagler sent in the following report and the photo above: “Joan Baez performed at Ashkenaz last night to a sell-out crowd. Joan was the guest artist for the extraordinary American debut of singer-songwriter Marianne Aya Omac who stunned the crowd with her brilliance and virtuosity. Marianne performed with percussionist Gabriel Harris, who is the son of Joan Baez. It was a memorable night in Bay Area music history.”
To find out what is going on in Berkeley and … Continue reading »
Out in Berkeley: Mawungira Enharira transports
More recent atrocities may have pushed the political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe out of the news, but the devastation wrought by the iron-fisted Robert Mugabe and his kleptocratic ZANU-PF party continues apace. During a decade of incomprehensible hardship, the spirit of Zimbabwe’s people has been buoyed by the music of Mawungira Enharira, a hugely popular band that puts a sophisticated, contemporary spin on mbira, a folkloric Shona style played on the thumb piano of the same name.
The … Continue reading »
More than 30 years of “thinking sound” in Berkeley
Meyer Sound factory off Heinz Avenue. Photos: Meyer Sound
Sound is life at the Meyer Sound facility on San Pablo. The 32-year-old Berkeley business continues to churn out professional sound products for concert halls, churches and traveling bands from around the world.
“We’re a family-run company, privately owned still,” said Helen Meyer, executive vice president of Meyer Sound. “We’re still private to this day. That’s kind of a unique feature of our company.”
I sat down with the Meyers to discuss sound, local lifestyles and new technologies.
CEO John Meyer founded the company in 1979 after he and Helen attended an inaudible Donovan concert at the Oakland Coliseum. When they sat down to take in the performance from one of their favorite folk singers, the couple soon realized they couldn’t hear a thing.
“It was barely louder than if someone was just there without anything,” John said. “Everyone in the audience was dead quiet and we still couldn’t hear. We said, ‘there’s got to be a better way.’ ” … Continue reading »
Ashkenaz provides music, “living room” for activists
Berkeley newbies may have trouble finding a cold beer and clog-dancing lesson on a Friday night. Bay Area long-timers, however, know the old brown building on San Pablo Avenue is a good place to start.
Since 1973, Ashkenaz has bridged cultural divides, supplying Berkeley residents with world music performances and a variety of dance lessons on an almost-daily basis.
“Ashkenaz has been around for 40 years, and it’s definitely a unique institution,” said Aaron Simon, board president of Ashkenaz. “We’re a world music venue with roots in the Berkeley counterculture and protest movement. We’re a favorite venue with many national touring acts and an important stage in the local music scene.”
Music enthusiasts are hard-pressed to find a more diverse show calendar. Ashkenaz’s upcoming week boasts western swing, Cajun/Creole, alternative rock, east-coast reggae and conscious hip-hop.
Most concerts at Ashkenaz follow a dance lesson that fits the mood. … Continue reading »
Transported to Louisiana with St. Mary & Co at Ashkenaz
The award for busiest dance floor in Berkeley could easily go to Ashkenaz. In fact, the 38-year-old music and dance community center has claimed such designations in the past.
Last Saturday the floor was particularly packed thanks to the zydeco stylings of Mark St. Mary and company – also recognized as “The Best Zydeco Band” by the Bay Area Blues Society in 2007.
Northern California’s “King of the Delta” — as he was crowned in Isleton in 2003 — came equipped with his hotrod-red accordion ready for a good time. His only mandate, “let’s have a party,” was a command he issued several times throughout the night. And the crowd obliged. … Continue reading »
Berkeley High School teacher shows his soul power
Scott Willson has been teaching math at Berkeley High for eleven years but he thinks he’s having his best year ever right now.
That’s because he’s bringing his love of music into the classroom — he teaches a music club twice a week, and — if the crowd of BHS students that turned up to see him play with his funk R&B band Soul Power last Friday at Freight & Salvage is anything to go by — there’s … Continue reading »
Evening of bellydance benefiting a good cause
Want to find out what the bellydance craze is all about, and support a local charity at the same time? Continue reading »
The Berkeley Wire: 10.29.09
When ants attack! UCB researchers find the chemicals that turn friendly ants aggressive [Science Daily]
The Internet as the “mothership of creativity”. Or have we blurred the distinction between mall and university? [Berkeley Blog]
Dance off that Halloween candy at Ashkenaz on Sunday [Soul Sanctuary Dance]
Ho hum. Another $7 million for research at LBL. No, it’s really a great thing that we have an administration that believes in science. I just need some snark in these short items [LBL Newscenter]
Photo of South Hall by Refractionless from Flickr
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