VARDAN HOVANISSIAN & EMRE GÜLTEKIN “Reconciling two vibrant musical cultures. High class" **** The Guardian / The Observer Vardan Hovanissian doudouk Emre Gültekin saz, baglama tanbûr, vocals Marat Jeremian dhol Joris Vanvinckenroye or Brice Soniano double bass Vardan Hovanissian & Emre Gültekin symbolize the reconciliation between two people. The sounds they produce with the Armenian duduk and the saz from Turkey are melancholy but also full of hope. Their second album "Karin" is the ancient Armenian name for the town of Erzurum, located in what is now Turkey. It refers to the birthplace of Vardan Hovanissian’s grandfather, who was one of 200 survivors following the deportation of around 40,000 people during the Armenian genocide. The album is dedicated to the cosmopolitan period in Karin, which was a meeting place for the different cultures that existed along the Silk Road. This album sees the duo continuing their exploration of the links between Turkish and Armenian traditions. It broadens the scope to take in the richness of the musical heritage of the troubled region including Georgia, Iran and the Kurdish area. Web page Facebook Youtube Soundcloud Bandcamp Contact & booking Louise Janssens [email protected] +32 (0)2 217 26 00 CD “Karin” (2018) Inspired by a wandering soul and guided by a borderless friendship, the duo’s music weaves links between languages and styles. This latest collaboration is a hymn to intercultural exchanges, and it derives its strength from a spirit of sharing and generosity. It delves into the wide variety of traditional repertoires, bringing several lost treasures back to life, but also offers new compositions that address topical issues such as the fate of refugees. The lyrics pass from Armenian to Turkish, Kurdish and Georgian tracing the footsteps of the famous Armenian troubadour Sayat Nova. The melancholy air of the duduk provides a perfect counterpoint to the vibrations of the different long-necked lutes. Since he was introduced to the duduk by his master Khachik Khachatryan, Vardan Hovanissian has become one of the most talented ambassadors for this ancient double- reeded instrument whose melancholy tones reflect the Armenian soul. He found his musical soul-mate over ten years ago when he met Emre Gültekin, who learned the art of the Turkish saz from his father Lütfü Gültekin and from Talip Özkan. Musicians & guests Vardan Hovanissian duduk, tav shvi Emre Gültekin vocals, saz, bağlama, kopuz, cura, üçtelli, şelpe, divan Levent Yildrim zil, bendir, cymbals Brice Soniano double bass Ananuri panduri, vocals Sepideh Raissadat vocals, setar Marat Jeremian dhol Gülçiçek Bakır vocals Tristan Driessens ud Joris Vanvinckenroye double bass Raphaël Feye cello Distribution : France / Benelux / UK / Germany / Austria / Japan / online CD « Adana » (2015) Myrddin is a music wizard who uses his guitar and flamenco to get you into other worlds. Roaming eternally between atmospheres, he found a new world along the way. After collaborations with, among others, father Koen, Jef Neve, Gabriel Rios, Wan nes Van de Velde, Ariaga, Alain Perez, La Susi and 4 albums with his own compo- sitions, he is currently working on a new solo album. The music of Myrddin goes through marrow and bone and is both com- plex, passionately rhythm ic and profoundly emotional. His swiftness sometimes seems extraterrestrial, hut whoever takes the time to listen intensively to his music will soon find an im- mense world of pure emotions, beauty and peace. At the tender age of eleven, his father taught him how to play the clarinet in jazz and gipsy swing style; he became part of the family orchestra and had his first experiences on stage. A classica! melody composed on the guitar made him ask his father to teach him the basics of flamenco guitar. Quite soon after that Myrddin seemed ready for the real thing and went to Andalucia to learn from Manolo Sanlucar and Gerardo Nunez. lt stimulated him to compose in his own unique language rooted deeply in the pure flamenco tradition but enriched by an unlimited creativity. Myrddin fully masters the compás of flamenco, which gives him the freedom to converse with elements of jazz or classica! music. After 4 CDs and numerous concerts Myrddin is undoubtedly the (flamenco) guitarist of the Low Countries. Currently Myrddin has been working on volume one of a three part solo album set, to be released on vinyl and CD early 2020 on the Zephyrus Records label. "Myrddin -Monstruos Y Duendes Vol. 1: Myfyrio" [ZEPLP047J SONGLINES ...a band in full bloom... MOJO ...rivetng playfulness and throtling sense of adventure. SOUL BAG …a galaxy of brilliantly shifting afro rhythms, oriental melodies, ethio jazz and dub. DE MORGEN ... inventve, ominous and ever hypnotc... NRC ... African rhythms, subtle hiphop beats and spinned out contemporary spiritual jazz. FUTURE FLORA album release Vinyl/CD/Digital Sdban Records, April 14, 2019 Five-piece hybrid jazz combo from Belgium piloted by saxophonist / flutist Nathan Daems, releases it’s third full album. With DJ’s Gilles Peterson and Lefto as fans, two albums selected by Radio FIP (France), several showcases ( WOMEX, Eurosonic, MaMA...), international tours and a serious bunch of good reviews, the band is gaining interest with international audiences. Where debut album ‘Abyssinia Afterlife’ (2014) and ‘Artifacts’ (2017) bathed in an atmosphere of psychedelics, mythical figures, ancient sounds and modern cultures, new album ‘Future Flora’ refers to the power of plants and their importance for the future. ‘It is a metaphore for strong and revolution- airy ideas that can save our world’, says Daems. Black Flower’s musical cross-pollination of sounds and rhythms remain on ‘Future Flora’, but there is still room for a more Western touch with Romani- an and Maloya (Réunion) influences. Daems developed his own arrangements where Western, Oriental and Ethiopian scales and chords are fused together to create a real mix of traditional instrumentation and modern electrical vibrations. Nathan Daems - alto - & baritone sax, ney, kaval // Jon Birdsong - cornet, cornetto muto // Wouter Haest - keys // Filip Vandebril - bass // Simon Segers - drums Recorded and mixed at Studio Boma by Frederik Segers // Mastered at Motormusic by Thomas De Pauw // Artwork, lay out & grapic design by Kristina Ianatchkova FULL EPK - PRESSPAGE (pw: futureflora) - WEBSITE - FACEBOOK - INSTAGRAM - YOUTUBE - SPOTIFY Management: Wout Van Putten - [email protected] - +32 485 60 12 06 - www.zephyrusrecords.be Label: [email protected] - www.sdbanrecords.be DIZZY MANDJEKU & ODEMBA OK JAZZ ALL STARS In the Congolese rumba movement, guitarist Dizzy Mandjeku is considered a living legend. He has played with about everybody in the Congolese musicscene and continued the band and music of Franco after his dead. He started playing the guitar in the 60’s, exploring jazz and latinamerican music, before digging deeply in the Congolese traditions. He played with Les Maquisards and nearly every big name in the rumba scene. In the late 70’s he moved to West-Africa where he lead the orchestra L’African All Stars and optimized his skills as arranger and composer. Back in Kinshasa Dizzy worked as A&R at Editions Vévé, the label of Verckys. The same period he played intensively with Tabu Ley Rochereau, Franco, Sam Mangwana and many others. In the 80’s Dizzy became more important in Franco’s Orchestre OK Jazz. He moved to Brussels where he lead OK Jazz after the death of the biggest name in Congolese music. What followed was numerous collaborations with Jimmy Cliff, Waldemar Bastos, Zap Mama, Milow, Stromae, Baloji and Colombian Alé Kumá and Nidia Gongora. With his own band the Odemba OK Jazz All Stars, Papa Dizzy keeps the traditional rumba and soukous alive. In a huge 12 piece band (or a smaller reduced version) Odemba brings the Franco style, smooth Congolese rumba, featuring Malage De Lugendo, Nana and Baniel, Dele Pedro, and veteran Seigneur Lokombe all of whom are legends in their own right. Although this form of music was at its height in the 60s and 70s it is anything but old fashioned. In fact the music is so dominated by driving bass lines, amazing horn sections, powerful voices, and melodic guitar riffs that it appeals to all people of all ages and most of all it makes people dance like they have never danced before! http://www.dizzymandjeku.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uU6dxHZmYM Booking: Wout Van Putten / [email protected] / +32 485 60 12 06 Subscribe Past Issues Translate Tcha Limberger A CELEBRATED POLYMATH VIRTUOSO Tcha Limberger is the King of Gypsy music SUNDAY TIMES UK A MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST & VIRTUOSO ON MOST OF THEM. Award winning multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Tcha Limberger is a blind musician born in Belgium, acclaimed across musical genres, and celebrated within the jazz and world/folk music worlds as both a singer and player. A spectacular multi-instrumentalist, known as much for his enchanting performances with the Budapest Gypsy Orchestra and Kalotaszeg Trio as he is for being the world’s greatest Gypsy jazz violinist with his trio featuring Mozes Rosenberg and Les Violons de Bruxelles, he is an unstoppable force in the world of world, folk and jazz music. He continues to be a nurturing influence in many folkloric musics such as his recent pre-Rembetiko Greek music project Trio Tatavla and has become recognised as one of the most prominent and important figures in folk music of the Carpathian Basin. The polymath virtuoso Tcha Limberger is the king of Gypsy music SUNDAY TIMES UK music as natural as breathing LONDONJAZZNEWS.COM UK Tcha Limberger seems to be made entirely out of music THE OBSERVER UK PROJECTS KALOTASZEG TRIO https://lejazzetal.com/tcha-limbergers-kalotaszeg- trio/ Laments, Csardas' and Szaporas from the Transylvanian region of Kalotaszeg. A style considered to be the most beautiful of all Hungarian music and featuring the family rhythm section of Toni Rudi Snr & Jnr on Brac and Double Bass.