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Wobbly World: An Arabian Night!
Wednesday, July 13, 2022
$25 – $35
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Seating times: 7:00pm & 8:30pm. Doors open 30 minutes early.
TICKET AVAILABILITY: IF SELECTED TICKETS ARE “SOLD OUT”, PLEASE CHECK AVAILABILITY FOR ANOTHER TIME AND ANOTHER SEATING TYPE
Black Cat JAZZ@theEDGE Summer Festival!! Presents: Wobbly World: An Arabian Night!
Freddy Clarke – guitar
Georges Lammam – Arabic vocals, violin
Bouchaib Abdelhadi – Percussion / Oud / French and Arabic Vocals
Charles Mosell – Wind Instruments / Beat Box Vocal
Colin Douglas – Drums
Khader Keileh – Middle Eastern keyboard
Wobbly World is a group of internationally recognized musicians in a powerful unique collaboration. They bring experiences, languages, traditions and instruments to a musical partnership that defies simple description and exists in perfect harmony. Guitarist Freddy Clarke carefully chose these select musicians based on their musical genius and dedication to collaboration and peace.
Freddy Clarke, raised in San Francisco, fell in love with classical guitar when his dad bought him a new hand-made Yamaha Classical guitar as a child. In high school he went to see Andres Segovia in concert at The Masonic Auditorium. That was a life changing moment for him. He continued his musical journey at College of San Mateo and studied music theory with Gus Gustavson. He learned about Buckminster Fuller’s idea of synergy — that the total is more than the sum of its parts — and how this relates to the reciprocity that exists in the musical conversation that takes place between musicians during a performance. This very concept would be the underlying theme of Wobbly World 20 years later.
Freddy studied classical guitar at San Francisco State University with Rani Cochran, and privately with Narcisso Yepes, Rey De La Torre, and Leo Brower. He also studied music composition, emphasizing form and technique, with Roger Nixon and Peter Sacco, and fell in love with Igor Stravinsky and John Cage.<
Freddy has traveled the world playing guitar and studying world music. His solo performances and original compositions have been likened to “Segovia on acid,” and “Smashing Pumpkins meets Gypsy Kings.”
Georges Lammam was born in Beirut Lebanon and grew up with an artistic family. He is a recording artist, composer, and artistic director for the Georges Lammam Ensemble, and is a featured artist in other musical groups – Ancient Future, Shabazz, and Pena Pachamama Artists’ Ensemble. He has toured in Bolivia with renowned artists Eddy and Gabriel Navia. His music has enhanced videos from several arts and philanthropic non-profits in support of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Georges’ compositions and performance excerpts are included in scores for two award-winning documentaries: Occupation 101 and Tea on the Axis of Evil, and he recorded a well-known folkloric debke in Aaron Davidman’s 2016 film – “Wrestling Jerusalem”.
Bouchaib was born in Casablanca, Morocco, the 6th of 9 children. His oldest brother loved Egyptian music and learn to play Oud, a pear-shaped, short-necked fretless instrument. His dad could only afford lessons for one, so when he was 12, his brother started going to the conservatory. Occasionally their dad would play with them, which they loved. There was a local band called Nass el Ghiwan, and they were famous, they were like the Beatles, and they played MoROCKin music! Bouchaib decided to start his own band with some friends, secretly because their parents wanted them to focus on school not music. But when they started getting more and more gigs, they became popular and everyone’s parents found out!
Bouchaib went to university to study music, and learned how to play violin. One of his greatest moments was when his band played for the Princess’s wedding. After graduation he got a job in a textile company, and continued playing at weddings and private parties and other events all throughout Morocco.
In 1989 he decided to visit the U.S., so he came to San Francisco – just in time for the big earthquake! He loved the scene, and in the 1990s went back, this time to stay. He was happy to discover how many bands wanted his skills as a multi-instrumentalist (dombek, oud, violin) and vocalist of Middle Eastern and North African traditions (he sings in both French and Arabic), and invited him to tour with them. Some of his career highlights include a 2002 collaboration with Pharoah Sanders on music for Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet Company, recording for Omar Sosa’s CD (SENTIR), and performing with Stephen Kent and Trance Mission on critically acclaimed performances at the 1998 San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival. In 2003, he composed and performed “Heart Song” for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, and played with Carlos Santana at Stern Grove in San Francisco. He has worked with artists from such diverse music traditions as Klezmer, Hindustani, jazz, and rock.
Charles has been playing music since he was five years old. He plays piano, saxophone, flute, clarinet, Indian Flute (bansurai), Japanese Flute (shakuhachi), shenai, percussion, and sings in a number of styles including beat-boxing, Tibetan singing, Mongolian singing, jazz scat, and rock.
He attended California Institute of the Arts to major in instrumental performance (South Indian flute and saxophone) and composition. After graduation, he worked as a Music Therapist in mental health facilities hospitals, prisons, and juvenile halls, with ongoing therapy for outpatients and ex-cons after they returned to their communities in Oakland, Richmond, and San Francisco.
This knowledge came to him as a result of studying and opening up to world music cultures, and that’s why being part of Wobbly World has been so gratifying and exciting. One of his favorite memories is the time the band traveled to Greece to play for the refugees in the Syrian camps. He was so moved by this work that he returned to Greece within a year to continue his philanthropic endeavor. Charles really enjoys playing with Wobbly World.
Charles has also had the opportunity to compose for numerous dance companies, TV commercials, films, many Jazz, rock, Funk, Hip Hop, and World Music albums, theater, etc., and perform for hundreds of audiences and such dignitaries as Presidents Clinton, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, the Supreme Court, and Obama. He has performed with popular artists such as Sly and the Family Stone, Robin Williams, Stan Getz, Bobby McFerrin, Devo, Stanley Clark, and hundreds of other great musicians and entertainers.
Colin grew up in New York, and music was always a big part of his childhood, because his dad is a record producer. When Colin was a kid, his dad worked with John Lennon, Cheap Trick, Aerosmith and just about everyone he thought was cool. He attended Lawrence University Conservatory of Music, and Manhattan School of Music, where he developed a love of Jazz. Then he discovered Cuban music and became obsessed!
He decided to move to California, hoping to become a better drummer and a professional musician. He got to play with so many incredible artists like Donna Summer, and Aerosmith, and while in the Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet, he was nominated for two Grammys!
He’s been with Wobbly World for more than 10 years, and what he loves most is how everyone comes from a different culture and yet when all come together, they speak in one language. He learned early on that the drummer holds it all together, and the drummers contribution to Wobbly World is to keep the music solid. These musicians have come from all over the world, and they all have their own idea on how things should work. And as soon as the music begins, everything falls into place. Like magic!
Born in Palestine and raised as a refugee in Jordan, Khader’s father saw how much he loved music, and one day came home with a surprise violin! Later he discovered keyboards was his passion.
When he could get to the US, he had to sell everything to buy his ticket… including his keyboard. After working construction to save enough to buy another keyboard, he went to Guitar Center, and met a man who was looking for a keyboard player who knew Arabic music! Soon he met Georges Lammam and was invited to join his Georges Lammam Ensemble in the Bay Area for Arab cultural events like the Berkeley World Music Festival, Mendocino Middle Eastern Music and Dance Camp, the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, and Cassandra Shore’s Jawaahir dance theatre productions in Minneapolis. Khader has had the honor of accompanying lots of Arab celebrities when they performed in the U.S., like Hakim of Egypt, Noor Mahanna of Syria, Fadel Shaker and Assi Hellani of Lebanon. Khader is excited to play with Wobbly World. What an experience playing side by side with Cuban, American, Asian, Bulgarian, and Peruvian musicians.Khader loves the comradery, the friendships, the diversity, the challenge, and that each band member gives their all. It’s what makes being in Wobbly World so much fun while we creating one-of-a-kind true world music.