Zap Mama and Antibalas
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CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS AT PENN STATE ONSTAGE Marina Abadjieff CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS STAFF George Trudeau, director Medora Ebersole, education and community Lea Asbell-Swanger, assistant director programs manager Annie Doncsecz, finance director Lisa Faust, audience services manager Tracy Noll, sales and development services director Deanna Heichel, assistant finance director Laura Sullivan, marketing and communications Tom Hesketh, events manager director Wanda Hockenberry, assistant to the director Amy Dupain Vashaw, audience and program Christine Igoe, ticket manager development director Urszula Kulakowski, art director Shannon Arney, assistant ticket manager Heather Mannion, advertising associate Erik Baxter, multimedia specialist Sherren McKenzie, group sales coordinator Shannon Bishop, downtown ticket center manager John Mark Rafacz, editorial manager Len Codispot, sales and development accounting , assistant director for special programs coordinator Dave Shaffer Chad Swires, production supervisor Gary Collins, production supervisor , production supervisor Aimee Crihfield, contracts/logistics coordinator Mark Tinik COMMUNITY ADVISORY COUNCIL The Community Advisory Council is dedicated to strengthening the relationship between the Center for the Performing Arts and the community. Council members participate in a range of activities in support of this objective. Nancy VanLandingham, chair Bonnie Marshall Lam Hood, vice chair Pieter Ouwehand Melinda Stearns William Asbury Lillian Upcraft Lynn Sidehamer Brown Pat Williams Philip Burlingame Nina Woskob Deb Latta Eileen Leibowitz student representatives Ellie Lewis Stephanie Corcino Christine Lichtig Jesse Scott Mary Ellen Litzinger CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS AT PENN STATE and Columbia Artists Management, LLC present Zap Mama and Antibalas 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 3, 2015 Eisenhower Auditorium The program will be announced from the stage. The performance is presented without an intermission. The Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Zap Mama Zap Mama a.k.a. Marie Daulne, lead singer Maimouna Youssef, backing vocals Lene Christensen, backing vocals Manou Gallo, backing vocals, electric bass, percussion Antibalas Amayo, vocals, percussion Martín Perna, baritone sax, vocals Eric Biondo, trumpet Jeff Pierce, trumpet, trombone Joseph Woullard, tenor sax Kevin Raczka, drums Nikhil P. Yerawadekar, bass, guitar Timothy Allen, guitar Raja Kassis, guitar Marcus Farrar, shekere, vocals Will Rast, keyboard Reinaldo de Jesus, congas, percussion Tour Staff Marya J. Glur, company manager Lauren Harton, technical director Aron Mandelbaum, sound engineer Columbia Artists Management, LLC, Tim Fox / Alison Ahart Williams, 1790 Broadway, New York, NY 10019 Produced in association with Solid Productions, LLC, Chris Goldsmith ZAP MAMA AND ANTIBALAS COLLABORATION Antibalas, founded in 1998, evolved out of the same Brooklyn-based musical nucleus as Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, and into the world music scene around 2000. After years of heavy international touring, the band rose to greater prominence in 2007 for its role in the musical direction of the Broadway musical Fela!. “I’ve been a fan of Zap Mama for twenty years. We’ve never had the chance to collaborate before, nor with any other group on this scale. This is a thrill and a privilege for us to be working together,” says Martín Perna of Antibalas. “I think the energies and talents of each group are complementary, and really exciting things will happen when we get to perform.” Tonight’s concert features a new presentation, combining the two groups into one show created for this tour. “Every time I do a tour, I want the show to have its own unique story arc which, even if it’s not explicitly expressed, still gives a certain flow or cohesiveness to the presentation,” says Zap Mama founder Marie Daulne. “I’m very excited to explore the intersections between our globally influenced vocal harmonies and the polyrhythmic rhythms of Antibalas. I’m sure it will be an exciting and fun journey.” she is a sonic stylist who alternates between storytelling and creative vo- cal expression. Using the organic tone of the human voice, Zap Mama has Thomas Rusch Thomas developed her sound for more than twenty years, inspiring diverse audi- ences around the world. Born in East Zaire during the Congo Crisis, Daulne lost her Belgian father to the Simba rebels only days after her birth. Shortly after his death, she ZAP MAMA was flown with her Congolese mother and siblings to Belgium, where tradi- Known to her fans as Zap Mama, tional Congolese songs and culture Marie Daulne began as the leader and remained present. founder of a female vocal polyphonic quintet that succeeded worldwide Her Belgian family exposed her to and has since evolved into a variety liturgical music and Walloon popular of configurations approaching urban, songs. As an adolescent, Daulne also jazz, American soul, and Afro-pop trained in track and field, proving to music styles. Redefining the term “vo- be a powerful athlete. calist,” Daulne is more than a singer; Following a return visit to the Congo As its success grew, the quintet was in her early 20s, Daulne was inspired invited to prestigious stages around to sing and create music. Seamlessly the world, including the Montreux Jazz blending African, American, and Euro- Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Wo- pean cultural influences, this Belgian- mad, Glastonbury, and many others. Congolese diva has a unique vocal style. Zap Mama’s genre connects the Zap Mama’s Adventures in Afropea was citizens of the world through sound. Her nominated for a Grammy Award for the polyphonic arrangements use the voice Best World Music album in 1994. as an instrument creating vocal grooves that reinterpret the sound of urban, Invited to perform with the Neville Afro-scat, and alternative funk music. Brothers, Al Jarreau, and Bobby McFerrin, Zap Mama toured through In the early 1980s, hip-hop culture the United States, Japan, and coun- arrived in Europe and inspired tries in Europe. The quintet appeared Daulne’s body and soul. She began on numerous TV shows, including experimenting with beatbox, rap, graf- Taratata in France, Later … with Jools fiti, and training in acrobatic choreog- Holland on the BBC, and The Arsenio raphy. Daulne discovered her artistic Hall Show and Sesame Street in the personality and started her studies United States. at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Visuels. She also attended In 1995, Daulne signed, co-created, modern dance and circus acrobatics and performed in a commercial for classes to develop her choreography. Coca-Cola that was broadcast world- wide during the 1996 Atlanta Summer In 1987, she began studying jazz in An- Olympics. Taking center stage as the twerp, and by 1989 she was teaching lead vocalist of Zap Mama, Daulne’s and developing compositions for an a music took on a more urban influence cappella quintet. and away from a cappella. Collaborat- ing with numerous artists, including In the 1990s, she auditioned singers Black Thought and Questlove (The and founded the Afro-European vocal Roots), Speech (Arrested Develop- quintet Zap Mama. ment), and Manu Dibango, Zap Mama toured concert halls across the United The group received international atten- States. Zap Mama shows sold out tion by signing with the Belgian label in New Orleans, New York City, Los Crammed Discs (Sony Music) in 1991. Angeles, and San Francisco. The tour reached around the world enchant- In 1992, David Byrne of Talking Heads ing audiences in Africa, Australia, and signed Zap Mama with his label Luaka northern Europe. Bop (Warner Music Group) in the United States. In 2000, Daulne worked with composer Hans Zimmer and producer Tom Cruise As new inspiration arrived, Zap Mama’s on the soundtrack for Paramount’s Mis- music began to incorporate a myriad of sion Impossible II, which included her genres, particularly those of the African cover version of “IKO IKO.” diaspora combined with a unique mix of Euro-American traditions. Zap Mama’s Ancestry in Progress was recorded in Philadelphia and produced by the band The Roots. Featuring Cornelius to participate in a tribute Grammy Award winners Erykah Badu, performance honoring Rock and Roll Talib Kweli, Common, Bilal, Quest- Hall of Fame inductees Earth, Wind & love, and Bahamadia, it represents a Fire. Zap Mama was the first European combination of Afro-European and “Afro-pean” artist to be involved in the Afro-American spirit. On the Billboard Soul Train Music project. charts, it went straight to first place and stayed in the top twenty for sev- To celebrate her career, Daulne eral weeks. recorded Eclectic Flash Volume I and Flashback to Present Volume II. In both Supermoon was recorded in New York. albums, she features her trademark Daulne invited star musicians David vocal sound, core passion, and the es- Gilmore, Meshell Ndegeocello, Arno, sence of Zap Mama (today a quartet) and The Royal Opera Children’s Choir music. She also offers vocal master of Ma Monnaie (Belgium’s National classes and has established the Vocal Opera in Brussels). Groove Choir to encourage fans and vocal enthusiasts in cities around the In 2010, the NAACP Image Awards globe to sing. nominated Zap Mama’s Recreation for Outstanding World Music Album. The first single from the new album, “We Go,” vividly echoes strength and In addition to musical endeavors, unity. It is a soundtrack for expanding Daulne has worked with humanitarian possibilities. Rhythm brings people aid organizations, including Doctors together with connection through Without Borders, Amnesty Interna- time, tone, empowering lyrics, a ris- tional, CARE, and the United Nations. ing chorus, and invigorating horns. The alluring groove features legend- At the 2011 Soul Train Music Awards, ary Jamaican producers and players Zap Mama graciously accepted the in- Sly Robbie, Sly Dunbar, and Robert vitation from founder and creator Don Shakespeare.