MATSURIZA JAPANESE TRADITIONAL TAIKO DRUMMERS

Matsuriza means “festival” in Japanese. “Taiko” means drum. The principles of Matsuriza are “Shin” (to develop pure spirit), “Gi” (improve skills), “Tai” (keep healthy body) and “Rei” (observe proper decorum). As in many Oriental philosophies, “mind and body” are important for a man’s whole well-being. Matsuriza Japanese Taiko Drummers build focus; develop a habit of caring for each other in teamwork; shape up by building physical strength; and communicate without words but through sounds and minds.

Music began with man banging an object like a drum. The discovery of different rhythms through the drum beat started the history of music. The history of Taiko goes back many centuries. It began in religious ceremonies in shrines and changed throughout the years. Drums were used in festivals to pray for rain and by soldiers in battlefields. Since the ancient times, people expressed the sounds of nature, such as wind, water, fire and so on with taiko.

Matsuriza (a leading taiko group in Japan) migrated from Sukeroku-daiko and is influenced by leader Yoshihisa Ishikura of Kanto-abare-daiko. Playing traditional music, as well as self-composed arrangements, they performed in Walt Disney World and various countries for cultural events.

In 1983, Takemasa Ishikura started to perform as a member of Kanto-abare-daiko led by Yoshihisa Ishikura at the EPCOT Center Japan pavilion of Walt Disney World. In 1998, leader Yoshihisa returned to Japan to resume his team there. Takemasa Ishikura took the over the leadership and formed Matsuriza Japanese Traditional Taiko Drummers. Matsuriza continues to perform at EPCOT Japan pavilion every week.

Mobile International Festival is fortunate to have Takemasa Ishikura and Matsuriza Japanese Traditional Taiko Drummers perform since 1997. MIF is proud to be the only venue where they perform in Lower Alabama. They have a following of fans who attend the festival just to see them perform. Matsuriza drummers have fascinated children and adults alike with their precision, discipline, expertise, professionalism and showmanship when they perform. After their performance, they share with the public the historical background of taiko and Matsuriza.

Experience Japan and its culture. Come and see Matsuriza Japanese Traditional Taiko Drumming at Mobile International Festival.

On the web:
http://www.matsuriza.com

In 2000, they were invited to appear in a circus in Detroit, Michigan, and six of the troupe ventured to America, and from there, says troupe leader Kalama Ngumbao, “America opened its arms to us.” Their coast-to-coast bookings include everything from state fairs and casinos to NBA halftime shows in Boston, Dallas and Indianapolis and all through the USA.

Says Kenya Acrobatic, Muga Kisambu: “American audiences are great. They seem so amazed by us.”

Watching these Kenyans in action, one quickly understands why. The Kenya Boys are, well, wizards in the art of acrobatic construction – specifically human towers, all of them clever, complex and colossal.

With a mixture of mirth and bravado, they literally hurl themselves into their work, swiftly erecting five- and six-man structures with names like “The Hilton,” “Star Full,” “The Airplane” and “Sudanese.” Along the way come classical flips and dance steps commemorating their Bantu heritage, each performed, in the Wizard manner, at warp speed.

Comments Kombe Charo: “I guess you could say we’re six young guys with energy to spare.” Right. And talent to burn, joy to share – enough to make one say, “I’ve seen everything!”

"We will bring a new style of Bantu and Massai acrobatics to america", says Kenya boys Muga Kisambu. "Our new style will knock the socks off americans" he continues.

The Kenya Safari Acrobats are known to perform and bring repeat crowds at each show. "Acrobatics is our life", says Karanja Kamuri. "We put 100 percent into each and every show performed.

If you are looking for a show that will astound you.. make you smile... make you laugh.. wow you.. then you need to check out this amazing group of acrobats.

RUNA PACHA

The Runa Pacha Wind Rhythms (Pure Natives) are a younger generation of musicians carrying on the rich cultural traditions that they have inherited from their ancestors. They love sharing their heritage and unique music with everyone.

They are Inca and Navajo descendants, proud Native Americans from both Americas. Their ancestors from North and South America taught them how to play their indigenous instruments. By practicing and combining these techniques, they perfected the beautiful soothing music that the audience enjoys listening to. They make all the wind instruments out of special wood and bamboo. Some of these traditional instruments are panflutes, cedar flutes, charango, llama rattles, gourd rattles, aucarinas, rainsticks, eagle bone whistles, drums covered with elk or sheepskin and chagchas (rattles) made with deer hooves. Their family makes beautiful handmade items for art shows, fairs and festivals.

They still live much as their forefathers did by speaking their native language, growing their own food, weaving their own cloth, making crafts, trading in the market on Saturday’s at dawn, and, of course, playing the music as it has been taught to them by their ancestors for generations. Their language, artwork, music and dance are important reminders of life’s diversity and they enjoy sharing these with others.

The Runa Pacha Wind Rhythms band joined together over 15 years ago. They are Rumi (Stone), Inti (Sun), Rupay (Fire) and Lakota (People). They play Native American Traditional, Gospel and Contemporary Music. Their band has performed all over the world in concerts, fairs, street festivals and schools to share their culture and music. Runa Pacha has performed for Mobile International Festival for the past seven years. They feel that they have much to offer as performers and ambassadors of their special culture. They love to play their music and share their culture and art to the entire world so their native people will never be forgotten!

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FREDY OMAR CON SU BANDA FROM NEW ORLEANS

Fredy Omar Con Su Banda have performed in Mobile International Festival for four years. Even when Fredy was one of the victims of Hurricane Katrina who had to evacuate to San Francisco, he kept his word to perform in 2005. He called some of his band members to join him for the festival and they came. At that time, he did not know where he would end up taking his residence. Although, he always knew that New Orleans was his home. He established his musical career and made a name for himself in New Orleans. And he did return home to New Orleans. He was among the first musicians to move into The Musicians Village.

Fredy is a native of Honduras. Even as a little boy while working in his family’s bakery, he would always sing. He dreamed to be a singer, but he was discouraged by some. He persevered. He became lead vocalist of his school’s choir and recorded two 45s that quickly rose to top of the play list on local stations. A well-known composer and award winner was enchanted by Fredy’s voice and asked him to record a song he had written for a national contest that was to be the theme song for a popular television program in Honduras. The song won! To this day, it is still used as the theme song for the TV program.

His family was impressed by his success and backed him up when he received a scholarship to attend the Tegucigalpa’s National School of Music. He joined a bolero band, “Equidad”, which toured Honduras and the rest of Central America. At this time, he continued to work in the bakery business of the family. Later, he had an opportunity to perform at a music festival in New Orleans. He did and everything else is history!

Fredy’s band is very diverse with members who are from America and other Latin countries. His type of music is very Latin with New Orleans accent! Come and listen to Fredy Omar Con Su Banda and feel free to dance to his music!

JOHN SCALICI

John Scalici is a nationally-recognized drum circle facilitator, speaker, musician, clinician and master teaching artist. He has been featured in DRUM! Magazine as one of the busiest and most successful drum circle facilitators in the U.S. In 2003, John signed on as an artist endorser and clinician with Remo drum company and Vic Firth drumstick company. John is also an artist-in-residence with the Alabama State Council on the Arts. He is the only drummer/percussionist to be awarded the highly competitive Artist Fellowship Grant.

John has been a featured performer with the Alabama Ballet, Natyananda Dance of India and Southern Danceworks. He achieved national acclaim in 2000 with his Memphis-based blues rock band, “junkyardmen”, who were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Blues Album. He has been a featured presenter at the American Music Therapy national conference, National Association of Campus Activities, Yamaha Music Training (Tokyo, Japan) and the Society for Arts in Healthcare National Conference. He is on the Percussive Arts Society Recreational Music Making Committee. John has facilitated rhythm-based events in Alabama and throughout the US. He is the founder and owner of Get Rhythm!(R), an interactive, experiential-based program for team building, schools, stress management and special events of all kinds.

The mission of all Get Rhythm!(R) programs is to empower its participants to discover the universal language of rhythm. All individuals are rhythmic and need only to have it uncovered from within. Get Rhythm!(R) programs, whether educational, stress relieving, or team building seek to facilitate this discovery so that a group of people may become empowered to play, think, and live more rhythmically with the world around them. The drumming circle is the vehicle for the journey! MIF invites everyone to experience Get Rhythm!(R) at the festival this year.

On the web:
http://www.getrhythmprograms.com
http://www.myspace.com/johnscalici
http://www.remo.com/portal/artists/4882/John_Scalici.html

Puppetry is an ancient art that evolved throughout the centuries. The shadow puppet was introduced in China. But many countries already had their own form of puppetry. It was a means of communication for people. Puppetry was used to express human sentiments in religion and politics to social consciousness to education. It has always been part of history. There are many forms of puppets. In the sixteenth century, European cities had many puppet theatres. Then in the seventeenth century, hand puppets became popular. To this day, puppetry is still very popular in cities around the world!

From Kosice, Slovakia, comes Europska Umelecka Spolocnost Obcianke Zdruzenie (European artistic company, civil association) that is a Slovak non-profit organization established in 2005. The founder and artistic director is Alexander Pallesitz. Their main goal is the creation of theatrical, film, television and music projects. They are also involved in the development of Slovak artists on international projects in the world. Europska Umelecka Spolocnost Obcianke Zdruzenie created a professional theatre group in Slovakia, which is playing performances for children (puppet theatre) and for youth and families (drama theatre).

Through the sponsorship of Mobile-Kosice Association, a Mobile’s sister city organization and represents Slovakia at the festival, the European Artistic Company performed for Mobile International Festival in 2005 and this year. They will be back with a special presentation of drama and puppet fairy in “Cinderella” at the Puppet Theatre/Storytelling Room.

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GIOVANNI DE CHIARO

Giovanni DeChiaro is John DeChiaro to Mobile International Festival, who has performed now for the festival for seven years. He has a loyal following of fans who listen to him play musical pieces from Pachelbel to Schubert or Bach or Rachmaninoff or Tarrega to Scott Joplin and many more. He is a versatile virtuoso!

John debuted in 1978 in a Carnegie Recital Hall performance which brought a rave notice from the New York Times. He has performed in many parts of the world including for the late Pope John Paul II in the Vatican, Rome, and former President Bill Clinton at a special Christmas function at the White House. In 1989, NASA commissioned him to compose an original classical guitar number for the Shuttle Space Program. He also recorded two nationally televised special programs for the PBS Network. His recordings of Scott Joplin can be heard nationally over the National Public Radio’s syndicated program, “Performance Today.”

John is also a teacher. He taught at the College of St. Elizabeth in Convent Station, NJ, while pursuing his own graduate studies at New York University. He was on the music faculty of University of Southern Mississippi. Right now he teaches at the Louisiana State University. He is the music director of St. Martin Catholic Church, Mary Mother of Jesus Catholic Church in Central, Louisiana and of the Carlow Choir, a vocal ensemble composed of 155 people who will be singing for Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican in Rome in October 2008.

In addition to his teaching and performing schedule, John arranges and transcribes for the guitar. He has published a five volume set of teaching materials and numerous transcriptions with the Willis Music Company of Cincinnati, OH. Mel Bay Publications of Pacific, MO, has released his transcriptions of several Spanish Classics in an anthology entitled, “Treasures of the Spanish Guitar”.

With John’s accomplishment and love for teaching, it is no wonder that he enjoys being part of Mobile International Festival where he can share his classical guitar music with everyone. He will be playing at the Lobby Stage and Storytelling Room where he can talk about his techniques.

Mobile International Festival will welcome Mrs. Susanne Low, Trinidad & Tobago Carnival Queen, in this year’s festival. The Carnival in Trinidad & Tobago is held the same time as Mardi Gras in Mobile. It will be exciting to experience a Carnival feeling this year with the presence of Susanne Low resplendent in her winning costume!

Susanne Low was born in Trinidad and migrated to Canada 20 years ago. She started playing Queen of the Bands in Toronto Caribana celebrations and this led to playing queen in Trinidad Carnival which she has done about eight times. She always made it to the finals where participants are selected to be the king and queen based on their winning costumes. This is held Sunday evening called “Dimance Gras” when the final contenders parade in front of the stands before a panel of judges. The stands are full of spectators that include government officials, VIPs and local citizens. The winners are then declared as the current King and Queen of the Carnival.

This year was her first win. Last year, she came second. Because of the size of Carnival costumes, elaborate planning is done way in advance. Susanne’s costume was designed and built by Shula Newick and Alwin Chow Lin On with Russell Thompson as builder apprentice. Whenever Susanne parades in Carnival celebrations, whether in Trinidad & Tobago, Canada (Toronto), USA (Ft. Lauderdale and Miami, Florida, and Mobile), she has to be accompanied by her designers and builders. They have to put together the costume and help Susanne get into it.

Susanne is a professional steel pan player. She plays the tenor pan and has been doing this for the past 12 years in Canada playing in different functions in and around Toronto and USA. Her four-piece band is called “The Vibes”. They have produced four CDs to date. Susanne is married to John, who is also a Trinidadian and will accompany her to Mobile. They have two sons, Christopher and Jonathan.

Carnival and Caribbean music go together. Steel pan and calypso music originated from Trinidad & Tobago. MIF has had the opportunity to listen to steel pan music from the US Navy Steel Pan Band from New Orleans years ago and from Raymond Lowe, who represents Trinidad & Tobago at the festival.

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NOKLAE BAND FROM CHIANG MAI, THAILAND

What is the story behind Noklae Band? Noklae is an exceptional children band from Chiang Mai, a major northern town of Thailand. Noklae is “parrot” in the hill tribe dialect. The “parrot” is their logo. When they are on stage, the children wear very colorful traditional clothes of the tribal Hmong tradition.

Mr. Somkiat Suyaraj, a schoolteacher in Chiang Mai, formed the Noklae Band in 1985. He set up the music section in his school and urged his students to play music in their free time. One year later, the Noklae Band appeared on TV and it caught the attention of the executives of the biggest record company in Thailand. The consequent contract was signed three months later. Their first album was launched in 1986 and the public was thrilled by their charming distinctive style. Thai listeners were only listening to Thai and English songs. For the first time, songs sung in a Thai northern dialect by the children of the Noklae Band was heard and the public overwhelmingly accepted it!

Their songs (Noklae, Noom Doitao, Rong Hai Ha Mae and many more) stayed at the top of the chart for years. Their latest album, Doitao Dot Com, was launched to coincide with the Thai New Year (Songkarn Festival) in Chiang Mai in April 2007. The Noklae Band won various awards almost every year for conserving Thai culture. These popularity and recognition made Noklae Band a legend until now.

Since it started, Noklae has seen generations of children growing up and new ones joining. The photos show the seven children comprising the band that will perform at Mobile International Festival for the first time. These children, varying in ages from 5 to 15 years old, will either sing, dance or play the instruments. Mr. Somkiat, their schoolteacher, will accompany them with a guitar.

Mobile International Festival is proud to welcome Noklae Band in our roster of performing artists this year! They will definitely charm everyone especially the children.

Atlanta storyteller and puppeteer Akbar Imhotep returns to the Mobile International Festival. He is famous for his “Uncle Remus” tales and African folklore. Mr. Imhotep engages and fascinates the audience with his tales to the accompaniment of his African drum. He tells his stories with his puppets as he talks about legends and enchantment of folktales from our country and the African nations. Akbar creates his own puppets. His storytelling meets the educational mission of the festival because of its universal appeal to children and adults. Come meet him in the Storytelling and Puppet Theatre!

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MARIACHI SOL DEL VALLE

What is a festival without a Mariachi band? Their playing adds to the ambiance of the Mexican culture in the festival. The musicians serenade the audience with songs from Mexico evoking romance or festiveness. Every member of the band plays either a trumpet or guitar. One can catch them either on stage or as roving musicians. Follow the music and you will see the Mariachis wearing a wide-brimmed sombrero and attired in a “traje de charro”. Raul Puga, the leader of the group, has been a Mariachi musician for the past 25 years. He started playing in 1979 in Mexico City and had played in Los Angeles and Houston. Raul had performed in Garibaldi Plaza, Mexico City, where many of them started their art. Every night is a fiesta in Garibaldi Plaza with many different Mariachi bands vying for the attention of the visitors and spectators.

Tim Morris playing
the Didgeridoo
at the 2007 Festival

TIM MORRIS

Tim Morris has been playing the didgeridoo for eight years. The didgeridoo is an instrument native to the Aborigine people of Northern Australia. Simply put, the didgeridoo is a hollow log played like a trumpet which is used in ceremonies by the Aborigines who are natives of Australia.

Tim, a native of Mobile, holds a degree in Creative Writing from the University of South Alabama. He is married and has two beautiful little girls.

An avid hand percussionist, he discovered the didgeridoo through various recordings and instantly fell in love with the instrument. He co-founded the Mobile-based spoken word/world music ensemble Karamawen in 2000, in which he brought the didgeridoo to the forefront. Now residing in Atlanta, GA, Tim has recorded with new age musicians Junius and Winterhawk and has collaborated with alternative underground cellist, Diana Obscura.

Tim returned to perform in MIF in 2003 and 2004 as a solo didgeridoo artist after an appearance in 2001 with Karamawen and in 2005 with Cavan Cross Celtic Band. He will be back this year playing the didgeridoo again at the Lobby Stage and in other cultural exhibit booths.

MCGUIRE

McGuire's Pipes and Drums was formed in 1988 under the sponsorship of McGuire's Irish Pub and Restaurant. The band was begun and led by Mr. Jack Dasinger until his tragic death in July of 2003. Currently under the leadership of Pipe Major Wayne Willis and Drum Major Michael Zipay, this group of dedicated pipers and drummers are renowned throughout the southeast for their crisp military appearance, their precision marching and their wide repertoire of music, ranging from traditional Scottish/Irish tunes to classic show tunes and everything in between.

The band has performed at every major Highland game and Celtic festival in the southeast and has won top band honors in their category at games in Alabama, Stone Mountain, Orlando, and Sarasota. In addition they have played for the Vice President of the United States, the Secretary of the Navy, and appeared with Charlton Heston, Danny Glover, Gerald Rainey, plus others, at the St. Anne's Roundup. They have been featured in nationwide broadcasts on ESPN, The Discovery Channel, The Travel Channel, and CBS.

On the web:
http://www.mcguirespipeband.com

ACCORDIONIST JULIE COUNCIL

One hears the accordion and you are easily transported to Europe. You can be in a platz in Switzerland or Germany or a piazza in Italy or a plaza in Spain. Or, you can be dancing the polka in Poland or Slovakia. Or be serenaded in a café in France. The accordion has a long history associated with international music!

Julie Council has performed for the festival in the past. She also performs in many venues in New Orleans, Slidell and Houma (Louisiana) and Mobile, Daphne and Elberta (Alabama). She was at the Italian Village during the New Orleans World’s Fair. She has toured Northern France as an accompanist for Komenka Ethnic Dance Ensemble. She has performed in the pit orchestras for “Fiddler on the Roof” and the “Carnival” productions and in various Oktoberfests. Julie is happy to accompany her grandsons in their musical endeavors, too.

Two years ago, Julie was part of the Jubilee German Band that played oom-pa-pa music at the festival. This year, Julie is playing solo with her accordion. Follow the sound of the accordion, and you know that you are in Europe. Julie will be strolling with her accordion playing European music in different countries in the European corridor and rooms of Mobile International Festival.

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MEMBER ENTERTAINMENT

The Mobile International Festival boasts some exceptionally talented people. Check back soon to see who is lined up for entertainment at the 2008 festival.