I don’t know if you guys remember or not but this past January, 2013, I along with 18 other musicians from different countries along the Nile basin joined in a wonderful new project called The Nile Project aimed at redefining our understanding of the Nile river and its culture. Needless to say it was a truly inspiring experience. We gathered, we learned, we were forever changed.
Below is a recording from our first live concert in Aswan, Egypt. Please enjoy it, then support the continuation of this project by buying the album
Yesterday, Zanzibari singer Bi Kidude died at the age of 102. A truly untameable spirit, she was a true inspiration for me as an artist, as a woman, and as a human. Amongst the first women to sing publicly in Zanzibar, she lived her life as an independent musician at a time when not even many men would dare. She ran away from home at the age of 10 and lived a life on her own terms ever since.
Musically she is perhaps best known for her work in the ceremonial women’s music of Unyago, but she crossed over from traditional women’s music to the boys club of classical Taraab music and back again demanding respect from both old and young alike based on the power of her talents and force of spirit. I’m not going to go into a lot of detail about her life, I just wanted to share a little bit of her sound with you all so we can take a moment and remember the spirit of a great artist.
You can read more about her life here, and if you find you want more here is a lovely playlist i found on youtube of some of her songs.
(don’t miss what she has to say about the role of the singer in taraab music at 3:32 marker)
I don’t know about you guys but for me, March marks the arrival of spring regardless of the actual temperature outside. So we are all coming out of february’s hibernation and gallivanting around the city once more ready to dip our feet into the musical springs of the east river and run across the bumpy hills of central park…right on up to the Apollo Music Cafe as a matter of fact. The Nubatones will be sharing the stage with Sofia Rei on Saturday March 16th. Doors open at 9pm and show starts at 10pm (we are on first)
No matter where we go to play, whenever we come home we love to be at our favorite little venue, Barbés. Join us in person or (tune in if you can’t) on December 8th for a two part night at Barbés’ annual WFMU‘s live broadcast from 6-9pm as we do a few songs. After that we shall be doing a full set 10-11:30pm so hang out and usher in the holidays with us.
Greetings from the road my lovelies…As much fun as a girl can have in the studio you still need to dip out once in a while and check out the scenery. So I decided to take a little jaunt over the big pond then take a right and land myself in the beautiful Malaysia. I will be performing with some other artists at the 5th Marketplace of Creative Arts in Johor Bahru in conjunction with the World Islamic Economic Forum Dec 5-6. So if you are in the area come say hi to my friend Brahim Frigbane and myself as we do a few tunes.
Mass MoCA was such a blast, and we really want to thank their team for hosting us and showing us such a good time. And now we go back to the studio to finish the Nubatones debut album. Our goal is to have this album ready and in your hands by the end of next Feb. But you know us independent musicians must do it slow and steady otherwise we don’t even make it to the end of the race.
So in the meanwhile keep checking in on us, keep supporting our music by coming to our shows, telling your friends about us and buying our ep so we can make it through the next steps of the album making process. Thanks for all your support so far and see you at our next show!
Hellooooo Massachusetts…we are coming to visit once again! If you are in the western mass area this weekend then make sure you come check out The Nubatones at the gorgeous Mass MoCa (Museum of Contemporary Art) on Saturday, Nov 10 @ 8pm.
What: Alsarah & the Nubatones Where: Up in the Club @ Mass Moca (1040 MASS MoCA WAY. NORTH ADAMS, MA 01247) When: Sat, Nov 10 @ 8pm Info & Tickets: http://www.massmoca.org/event_details.php?id=767
After our little jelsa at Bunna Café I got really excited about the whole secret venue thing and decided to do our own little secret show! Hopefully this will be the first of a series of secret and intimate concerts featuring other artists that inspire me and that I have had the pleasure of meeting along my path in the music world. This first installment will feature some very new material that the Nubatones have been working on as well as a full set by the trance-inducing Arooj Aftab. I had the pleasure of meeting this brilliant creative mind while performing in Chicago at The World Music Festival last year only to find out that we are actually Brooklyn neighbors. If you are not familiar with this woman’s music now is your time and you need to feel it live! Creating the soundscape to this entire night will be newcomer DJ Ushka. She is a resident DJ at the brooklyn global bass party iBomba and is a recent member of tropical bass/culture collective, Dutty Artz.
The show is at a secret location on Saturday, 9/29/12 in the Prospect Heights of Brooklyn, NY. You must RSVP to get the rest of the information, and attendance is by invitation only. Send an email to alsarah5000@gmail.com and you will receive a confirmation email with all the info.
Late last spring I was contacted by musician and rabbi, Zach Fredman, regarding a project he was working on inspired by his studies of the Oud and Judaic spiritual scriptures. He had written a collection of songs based on text from the book ‘the song of songs’ and his musings on north and east african music and wanted me to join his band, The Epichorus. We met up for coffee to speak about the project more and what was supposed to be a 20 minute meeting about details turned into a 2.5 hour conversation covering everything from the intersection of music and spirituality to the social and religious ramifications of guilt on humanity. It was an artist to artist connection from first meeting.
Needless to say I joined his band of heretics and began showing up for rehearsals and jam sessions fueled by coffee and homemade rhubarb pie. Today, the result of those sessions is realized with the digital release of One Bead. Enjoy.
WHAT: Word*Rock*&Sword Concert: A musical celebration of women’s lives WHERE: Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker St. New York, NY WHEN: 09-22-2012 MORE INFO & TIX: Click here Description: W/ Toshi Reagon, Meshell Ndegeocello, Joan As Police Woman, Lizz Wright, Slanty Eyed Mama, Morley, Dj Rimarkable, Alsarah, Imani Uzuri, Marcelle Davies Lashley, Sun Singleton, Allison Miller, Ganessa James, Alex Nolan, Liza Jessie Peterson, Arooj Aftab, Staceyann Chin, Christelle Durandy, Lenelle Moise, BETTY, Gwen Snyder Siegal, Climbing PoeTree, and More to come… Start Time: 18:00 // End Time: 22:00
I don’t know if you guys remember or not but this past January, 2013, I along with 18 other musicians from different countries along the Nile basin joined in a wonderful new project called The Nile Project aimed at redefining our understanding of the Nile river and its culture. Needless to say it was a truly inspiring experience. We gathered, we learned, we were forever changed.
