The Roots Of Flamenco: Andalusian Trail Series

Las Guitarras de Espana presents: "The Andalusian Trail: The Roots of Flamenco (Part 1 and Part 2)" Friday October 21st, 2016, 7:30PM Andalusian Trail Part 1: Jaipur to Granada Saturday October 22nd, 2016, 7:30PM Andalusian Trail Part 2: Baghdad to Cordoba - Ziryab's Journey From Rajasthan to the Middle East to North Africa and across the Mediterranean into Andalusia, musical ideas and instruments were exchanged and have contributed to the foundation of flamenco music. Over the course of two evenings, Las Guitarras de Espana will present an ensemble of international guest artists celebrating music from the shared cultural history of medieval Andalusia to the present. The performances will feature original and traditional repertoire with Spanish guitar, Arabo-Andalusian poetry and music by Ronnie Malley on oud and harmonium, as well as Rajasthani folk dance by Kinnari Vora and flamenco and Mid-Eastern dance by Marisela Tapia. This special program will include music from the ensemble Surabhi featuring Saraswathi Ranganathan (veena), Carlo Basile (guitar), Dhananjay Kunte (tabla), Diego Alonso (guitar), Greg Nergaard (bass), and Bob Garrett (percussion). Note: The music and dance material will vary over both evenings featuring "Indian flamenco roots" in Part 1 and “Arab flamenco roots” in Part 2. Las Guitarras de España founder/guitarist, Carlo Basile along with vocalist/oud player, Ronnie Malley and Indian veena artist, Saraswathi Ranganathan are happy to announce a partnership in residency with the Instituto Cervantes of Chicago. The goal is to present works which showcase arts and artists from cultures which are linked to Spanish flamenco music such as those of the Indian, Arabic and African traditions. As part of this collaborative residency, the performances described here will be included as part of the Chicago Flamenco Festival 2016 presented by the Instituto Cervantes, the Old Town School of Folk Music and the Flamenco Arts Center. Ronnie Malley is a musician, theatrical performer, producer, and educator. He has collaborated with artists internationally and has composed and consulted on many cultural projects in music, theater, and film. His recent credits include: author and composer of the original play Ziryab, The Songbird of Andalusia (Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Chicago Cultural Center, Silk Road Rising), musician in The Secret Garden (Court Theatre), musician in The Jungle Book (Goodman, Huntington Theater), associate producer, composer, and actor in The Sultan's Dilemma (International Voices Project), co-composer/musician in The White Snake (Wuzhen Festival China, Old Globe, Guthrie, Goodman, McCarter, Berkeley Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival), and composer for the films At the Gate, Modou: The Hang Player, and Jon and Davy. He performs with the music groups Allos Musica, Duzan Ensemble, Lamajamal, and Surabhi. Ronnie is also a faculty member at the Old Town School of Folk Music, the Chicago Academy for the Arts, and an artist/researcher with Chicago Arts Partnership in Education. Las Guitarras de España is a Spanish guitar-influenced world music ensemble founded by guitarist Carlo Basile. The ensemble has released 5 CDs to critical acclaim and has performed throughout the US for concerts, universities and major festivals such as SXSW. The Chicago Tribune has recently dubbed the ensemble’s new work as “brilliant.” Basile’s guitar work has been featured in various commercial radio and television spots. Most recently, Basile has composed and performed music for theater including Steppenwolf and Lookingglass Theaters. He was the featured musician in the Lookingglass Theater production of Rick Bayless in Cascabel, in which the Chicago Sun-Times called him a “masterful guitarist.” Las Guitarras percussionist Bob Garrett has also recently performed in the new musical by Sting, The Last Ship. Related Websites: [hidden] [hidden] [hidden] More Info below.