OOJAMI

One of the Best Musical Hybrids from London!

Turkish Sounds and U.K. Beats!

Sunday, June 19 at 7pm
General Admission Tickets: $15 advance, $20 day of show


with Special Guests from Boston...


ZIAF

Performing the Work of Edith Piaf

ABOUT OOJAMI

Oojami fuses Turkish elements with a myriad of cultural traditions, providing a whirling dervish cyclone of sound with an uncompromising attitude towards musical freedom of expression.

The success of Oojami’s last album ‘Bellydancing Breakbeats’ culminated in sexy French actress Audrey Tatou gyrating her hips to Oojami’s ‘Fantasy’ in the cult film ‘Dirty Pretty Things’. As if life couldn’t get any better, new release "Urban Dervish" has upped the musical stakes considerably. The freshness and childlike enthusiasm of previous albums remain, but production quality and composition just keep getting better and better, leaving no doubt that Necmi Cavli is of the most exciting, innovative and groundbreaking producers in today’s vibrant global beat scene.

In it’s live incarnation Oojami combines male and female belly dancers with mesmerising Sufi dancing, providing a vivid musical experience for the eyes. Therefore it is no wonder that the band is building up a strong fan base of open-minded music fans eager to appreciate new and exciting global sounds. Oojami once again provide the definitive soundtrack for this multicultural generation. For lots more on Oojami, go to: http://www.oojami.co.uk/


ABOUT ZIAF

Edith Piaf, "La Môme Piaf" (the Little Sparrow) was a poignant, heartbreaking songbird, born and raised on the streets of Paris. She sang her way through a tempestuous life of lurid affairs, unsavory associations, and drug and alcohol abuse. Discovered in 1935 by a nightclub owner, Piaf impassioned audiences with her deep expressions of romance, love, grief, and joy. She died in 1963, but her spirit lives on through generations of audiences that fall in love with her fiery music and the story of her tumultuous life.
About 40 years later, Ziaf formed as an offshoot of Boston-based electronic rock band "All the Queen's Men" (AQM). With the addition of "La vie en rose" to their repertoire in early 2003, AQM was approached by the coordinator of a Bastille Day event with a request to expand and perform their own Piaf selections. The success of this show, subsequent demand for bookings, and the sheer enjoyment of playing Piaf's music, led to the crystallization of Ziaf as an official band in October of 2003.
Performing a classic repetoire of such complexity and character can be risky and challenging. Ziaf's inventive arrangements successfully pare down full orchestrations into a powerful trio consisting of Catherine Capozzi (guitar), Carol Namkoong (piano), and Tamora Gooding (drums). It is perhaps with the voice and presence of Swiss-native Christine Zufferey (the Z in Ziaf) that audiences find great resonance. The Boston Globe writes, "Piaf was known for a dramatic, vibrato-laden voice that infused her songs with palpable emotion, a characteristic that Zufferey embodies perfectly."
Within a short period of time, Ziaf has performed to capacity audiences throughout Northeastern U.S. and Europe. Enthusiastic fans, ranging in age from 18 to 80 (including some who had seen Edith Piaf perform in the 1950's), consistently demand encores of their favorite songs at every show. Performance venues include a four-month residency, festivals, special events, private parties and clubs. Their debut recording, "Hommage à Edith", was released in April of 2004 and has garnered radio play in Boston, Montreal and Switzerland. Ziaf has just returned from a successful European tour celebrating the release of their new recording, "Hello, Boy! You Come With Me?". For more on Ziaf, go to www.ziaf.com

Return to Events Calendar