From the depths of Vancouver’s rich avant-garde improvisational music community, comes the phenomenal culture-mashing juggernaut that is Haram. This power-house ensemble, half studied in the Arabic tradition, and half who cut their teeth in Canada's improv/indie/rock/jazz scene, is led by Juno Award-winning GORDON GRDINA (Dan Mangan) who, for the Haram project, trades in his guitar for Iraqi oud.
Haram pays homage to traditional Arabic music while mixing elements of noise, electronic soundscape, and western free improv into their explosively self-expressive sound. The ensemble is formed of creative heavy-hitters:
- GORDON GRDINA: IRAQI OUD (Dan Mangan, Mats Gustafsson, Mark Helias, Gary Peacock, Paul Motian)
- JP CARTER: TRUMPET (The Inhabitants, Destroyer, Fond Of Tigers, Dan Mangan)
- JESSE ZUBOT: VIOLIN (Tanya Tagaq, Hawksley Workman, Fond Of Tigers)
- KENTON LOEWEN: DRUMS (Dan Mangan, The Crackling, Jerry Granelli)
- TOMMY BABIN: BASS (Paul Plimley, Now Orchestra, Sendero Luminoso)
- FRANÇOIS HOULE: CLARINET (Composer and trailblazing improviser & soloist)
- CHRIS KELLY: SAXOPHONE (Now Orchestra, Eye of Newt)
- TIM GERWING & LIAM MACDONALD: PERCUSSION
- and EMAD ARMOUSH: Syrian VOCALIST extraordinaire
Their music, developed over time, has reached that sublime state of effortless cohesion while retaining its sense of wild abandon.
The repertoire begins with Iraqi folk music and ends at the mid-century era of Egyptian radio music. Traditional pieces are blown wide open. The group takes classic Arabic music from great composers like Farid Al-Atrache, Abdul Whahab and Oum Khalsoum, and filters them through Vancouver's creative improvising community. It's invigorating to watch the group constantly shifting directions while building to euphoric crescendos.
Haram plays a repertoire that has been revered by millions over decades, conjuring an immense sense of respect and homage, while remaining explosively self-expressive. This unique ensemble is for anyone interested in exciting, cross-cultural, boundary-annihilating music.
eclipse is pleased to present this groundbreaking act at Parterre One Kultur.