WOMEX 11 Guide

© Peter Harkin© Mamed Rahimov© MeyeroriginalsMáirtín O’Connor Band (Ireland)Contact: BallyO PromotionsLabel: unsignedMansum IbrahimovEnsemble Garabagh (Azerbaijan)Contact: Stichting GuramaLabel: unsignedMatuto (Brazil/USA)Contact: The Red HouseLabel: Galileo MusicMohammad Reza Mortazavi(Iran/Germany)Contact: Flowfish.musicLabel: Flowfish.recordsArtists A – ZS h o w c a s e sThursday 22:15 Studio 1Accordionist Máirtín O’Connor is a major figure on thecontemporary Irish music scene. One of the main musicalforces behind the internationally successful Riverdancestage show, he is also widely-known for his work withDe Danaan, Midnight Well and Skylark, as well as hissolo projects and many guest appearances. He brings toWOMEX his top-class ensemble, with whom he has beenplaying for nearly a decade. The Irish music credentialsof his colleagues are no less impressive. All-Irelandchampion fiddler and banjo-picker Cathal Hayden isknown to many as an original member of Four Men anda Dog. Guitarist Séamie O’Dowd has toured the worldwith Dervish, while percussionist Jim Higgins’ CV includesstints with The Saw Doctors, Riverdance and guestappearances on record and around the world with Altan.www.mairtinoconnorband.comMáirtín O’Connor accordionCathal Hayden fiddle, banjoSéamie O’Dowd guitar, vocalsJim Higgins percussionSaturday 00:45 Studio 1Mansum Ibrahimov & Ensemble Garabagh are leadingperformers of the complex traditional music style ofAzerbaijan known as mugham and have represented itat concerts around the world. Mugham compositionsare built around orally-transmitted collections ofmelodies and melodic fragments which the singeruses to carry narratives drawn from popular stories orclassical Azerbaijani poetry. A key element is the abilityof the singer to improvise according to the form ofmugham chosen. Mansum Ibrahimov is a master of theinflections and embellishments that mark a great singerof the genre and to witness the interplay between voice,percussion and the astonishing dexterity displayedby Elchin Hashimov on the tar and Elnur Ahmadov onthe kemancha makes for a compelling, uplifting andunforgettable experience.www.mansumibrahimov.com› WOMEX 11 Showcase Trailer on www.womex.comMansum Ibrahimov vocals | Elchin Hashimov tarElnur Ahmadov kemancha | Nizami Allahverdiyev balabanKamran Karimov nagaraSponsor: CaspianNavTelThursday 23:00 Foyer Stage 2In 2002, guitarist and singer Clay Ross moved fromSouth Carolina to New York in pursuit of the jazz muse.Several years later he found himself in Recife, studyingthe region’s folkloric music, bringing him by a circuitousroute to reappraise the folk and blues traditions of hisnative South and conceive the idea of marrying themto the Northeastern Brazilian rhythms of maracutu, forróand coco. Back in New York he called on accordionistRob Curto, master exponent of forró and they set outto combine their repertoires into an extensive libraryof Pan-American influences and form a band. With acrack coterie of renowned musicians sharing a loveof roots music, Brazilian styles and improvisationalexperimentation, Matuto deliver an inspirational liveexperience direct from the heart of New York City’sglobal culture.www.matutomusic.com› WOMEX 11 Showcase Trailer on www.womex.comClay Ross vocals, percussion, guitarRob Curto vocals, percussion, accordionRob Hecht vocals, percussion, fiddleRichie Barshay percussionZé Mauricio zabumba, tambourine, drums, percussion, pandiero,gonge, snare drum, berimbau, alfia, agogoSkip Ward bassSaturday 13:00Daycase Stage ForumWhen Mohammad Reza Mortazavi plays the Iranian handdrums, tombak and daf, unexpected tonal qualities beginto emerge, creating an impression of listening to a fullorchestra. Born in Isfahan in 1979, he fell under the spellof these two instruments at the age of six and started todevelop new finger techniques, rhythmic variations andtonal effects at an early age. During the following years,he regularly won first prizes at the annual tombak musiccompetition in Iran and by the age of 20, he was ratedamong the world’s best. Since then, he has introducedmore than 30 techniques which he applies to an endlessvariety of melodies, opening up a new era in theperformance possibilities of hand drums with a stylethat reaches far beyond the realm of traditional music.www.moremo.de› WOMEX 11 Showcase Trailer on www.womex.comMohammad Reza Mortazavi tombak, dafArtists A – ZS h o w c a s e s190191