Cal Performances presents Afropop Spectacular featuring Mahmoud Ahmed; and Trio da Kali
2016-11-04
Zellerbach Hall Auditorium
U.C. Berkeley, Bancroft Way at Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA 94305 USA
8:00 PM, Friday, November 4, 2016

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2016 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2016 event list! ☸ On to the next event!

[8:03 PM lights down, announcements, band out]

1. [8:04 PM] (short intro tune)
2. [8:05 PM] (unidentified tune #2)
3. [8:09 PM] (unidentified tune #3, sounds like Kaima or Kanima)
4. [8:16 PM] (unidentified slow tune)
5. [8:23 PM] (unidentified tune #5, sounds like Furu no nete)
6. [8:28 PM] (unidentified tune #6, sounds like Lassana Fay
7. [8:35 PM] (unidentified tune #7)
   [8:43 PM; talking about the band, add Ben Isaac & ?Babani? Koné]
8. [8:43 PM] (unidentified tune #8)
   [8:51 PM; introduction of last tune]
9. [8:51 PM] (Homage a Sundiata Keita)
   [set ends 8:57 PM; break to tear things down onstage and then set up for the second act]

Trio da Kali

• Fodé Lassana Diabaté: balafon;
• Hawa Kassé Mady Diabaté: vox;
• Mamadou Kouyaté: ngoni.

[9:21 PM]; lights down, waiting

1. [9:24 PM] Ere Mela £
2. [9:31 PM] Atawrulign $
3. [9:36 PM] Ney Denun $
   [9:43 PM; band introduction]
4. [9:43 PM] Bemen Sebeb $
5. [9:51 PM] Endet Nesh
6. [9:57 PM] Eleli
7. [10:02 PM] Tizita
   [Dera might have been dropped from the set (one of next three was, not sure which)]
8. [10:12 PM] Dera
9. [10:23 PM] Engedaye Nesh $
10. [10:29 PM] Alaweksh $
11. [10:29 PM] Ashkaroo $
    [set ends 10:29 PM]
     
    Encore
12. [10:31 PM] Kulun £
    [show ends 10:38 PM]

• Mahmoud Ahmed: vox;
• Yonas Debebe: keyboards;
• Tilaye Gebre: tenor saxophone;
• Russ Gershon: $ soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, £ flute;
• Feleke Hailu: tenor saxophone;
• Mulugeta Hailu: bass;
• Tom Halter: trumpet;
• Zakki Jawad: guitar;
• Samson Jufar: drums.

Wow, what a great show tonight!

Calling this an “Afropop Spectacular” might be accurate, but it also shows the futility of relying on labels for making sense of unfamiliar material. Both artists are from Africa, but their music is wholly distinct from each other. Mahmoud Ahmed's Ethiopian pop is vaguely like American R&B of the deep south (think Wilson Pickett and the Muscle Shoals sound), whereas Trio Da Kali puts a modern twist on the griot tradition of Mali (think acoustic delta blues: Charley Patton, John Hurt, etc). Would you think “R&B spectacular” to be a good tagline for a double bill of John Hurt opening for Wilson Pickett (yeah yeah, not even possible, wrong timespans, yada yada)? I guess if it gets people in the door, it's a good label.

Whoa! This section is incomplete for now, sorry!

Big thanks to Ting for the photo gallery!

Trio da Kali

Mahmoud Ahmed and Band

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2016 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2016 event list! ☸ On to the next event!