Global Fridays Concerts Features Musical Combinations, Collisions, Collectives at Arab American National Museum

posted on: Aug 19, 2014

Legendary Latin percussionist Francisco Mora-Catlett and a group of other highly skilled Detroit ex-pats will stage a festive Motor City homecoming Dec. 5 to conclude the Fall 2014 season of Global Fridays concerts at the Arab American National Museum, 13624 Michigan Ave. in Dearborn.

The New York Times says Mora-Catlett and his group AfroHORN “…seek a mystical but earthy vision of rhythm and folklore, inspired not only by Afro-Cuban music but also the Sun Ra Arkestra, in which Mr. Mora-Catlett played in the 1970s.” Read more about the group below.

The Fall season begins Sept. 12 with a multimedia performance piece inspired by the annual observance of 9/11, Eleven Reflections on September. It’s the work of New York-based cultural activist Andrea Assaf, founder/artistic director of the inclusive experimental theater organization Art2Action Inc.

The season continues with the stirring traditional and contemporary stylings of Layaali Arabic Music Ensemble, featuring players from several Arab World nations, on Oct. 24. Layaali’s diverse repertoire ranges from classical art music of the 19th and 20th centuries and folk songs of various nations to the music of early recorded greats like Umm Kulthum.

Native American drumming and flute solos stand side by side with drum machines and electronic sound sources when Lakota hip-hop artist Frank Waln takes the stage with a traditional dancer Nov. 14 in a rare Detroit-area performance.

Since 2005, the Global Fridays multicultural performance series – a sister series to the annual summer Concert of Colors world music festival in Midtown Detroit – has offered high-quality musical and spoken-word presentations for fans of traditional and world music and those with adventurous cultural tastes.

Enhancing the Global Fridays experience are the Museum’s intimate 156-seat Auditorium and the after-show artist “meet and greets” and CD signings.

Read more about this season’s artists below.

Andrea Assaf: Eleven Reflections on September (multimedia/spoken word)

This performance piece by writer, director and cultural organizer Andrea Assaf delves into the Arab American experience, wars on/of terror, and the “constant, quiet rain of death amidst beauty” that each autumn brings in a post-9/11 world. Assaf is founder/artistic director of New York-based Art2Action Inc., which creates, develops, produces and presents new and devised theater work, interdisciplinary performances, performative acts and progressive cultural organizing by women artists, artists of color, queer or trans-identified artists, and creative allies.

Layaali Arabic Music Ensemble (Arabic classical)

With members from Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and Morocco, Layaali is a Massachusetts-based ensemble whose repertoire reflects both the diversity of its members and the shared musical heritage heard throughout the Middle East and Maghreb. Performing classical art music of the 19th and 20th centuries, folk songs of various nations and the music of early recorded greats like Umm Kulthum, Layaali has earned a reputation as a dazzling live act. Individually its members have performed with notables like Simon Shaheen, Kazem as-Saher and Salim Sahhab, and composed soundtracks for documentaries, feature films and TV.

Frank Waln (Lakota hip hop)

Frank Waln is a Native American hip-hop artist, who first caught attention with his group, Nake Nula Waun (I’m Ready at Any Time For Anything). Straight outta the Rosebud Sioux reservation, Waln draws on tribal tradition and topical subjects about the challenges and barriers facing indigenous people as his lyrical inspiration. Traditional drumming and flute solos stand side by side with drum machines and electronic sound sources; as Waln’s voice floats over the music his spirit is embodied in the movements of his accompanying dancer.

Francisco Mora-Catlett & AfroHORN (jazz/fusion)

AfroHORN is the group formed by legendary percussionist and former Detroiter Francisco Mora- Catlett, a veteran of The Sun Ra Arkestra and Max Roach’s M’Boom. Although now based in New York, Mora-Catlett assembled a crack team of ex-Detroiters (J.D. Allen, Vincent Bowens and Alex Harding) to be the horn section of the group, and added Cuban percussion master Roman Diaz to round out the drumming. It’s an outstanding example of Afro-Cuban collision with jazz, updated for the 21st century. The superb drumming and bottom-heavy saxes (two tenors and a baritone) keep the sound earthy and exciting, but never ponderous.

All Global Fridays performances begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Lower Level Auditorium at the Arab American National Museum, 13624 Michigan Ave. just west of Schaefer Road in Dearborn. Free, lighted parking is available in the municipal lot north of the Museum.

Arab American National Museum