Kane Mathis & Andrew Oliver

Posted by Michael on November 19, 2010 · Leave a Comment 

Tickets: $10 advance, $14 at the door.

Click here to purchase advance tickets.

Seattle-based musician Kane Mathis is one of the country’s leading performers on the Kora, a traditional 21-string harp of the Mandinka people of West Africa. On Nov. 19, he will perform in a duo setting with Portland-based pianist Andrew Oliver. The duo forms part of the 5-piece Kora Band, also led by Oliver, which has been quickly gaining recognition since the September release of their new album Cascades (OA2 Records), which has peaked at #12 on the Mediaguide World Music Radio Charts.

This will be an opportunity to hear the kora and piano in an intimate duo setting outside of the full band. The unlikely combination of these two stringed instruments creates a unique texture of rhythmic and melodic counterpoint which Oliver and Mathis have developed over several years, drawing from jazz influences as well as the traditional repertoire of the Mandinka people and other West African sources.

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Andrew Oliver Kora Band

Posted by Michael on March 20, 2010 · Leave a Comment 

Tickets: $13 advance, $15 at the door.

Click here to purchase advance tickets.

The Andrew Oliver Kora Band combines elements of jazz and traditional West African music to create a unique soul-stirring sound.
In the wake of his 2007 tour of West Africa with the U.S. State Department’s Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad, pianist and composer Andrew Oliver was inspired to dive deeper into the relationship between jazz and West African music. His exploration led to the founding of the Kora Band, featuring atypical instrumentation that highlights Kane Mathis on the 21-string Kora, a traditional harp from West Africa.
Mathis is one of the most accomplished Kora players in the U.S., having spent many years in The Gambia studying with master musicians. Also featured are Chad McCullough on trumpet, Brady Millard-Kish on bass, and Mark DiFlorio on drums. The talented ensemble performs both original compositions designed to explore the many possibilities of its unique timbre as well as traditional and modern songs from West Africa arranged specifically for the band.

For the Empty Sea Studios performance, the Kora Band will take a more “acoustic” approach, with Mark DiFlorio replacing drumset with a calabash-based percussion setup. Andrew will play Fender Rhodes. The tunes typically featuring Kane on electric guitar will be performed on acoustic. This will make for a unique and intimate set from the Kora Band in a room known for its fine acoustic quality, which promises to accentuate the unique acoustic properties of the kora even more than usual.

“…the sound is so seductive…” - The Oregonian
“…transcends mere exoticism…” – Willamette Week
“…mesmerizing… it’s as novel and agreeable a sound as you’ve never heard.” – Seattle Times

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