M E L M’rabet Trio new project
Between Two Shores
M’rabet dazzles listeners by deftly leaping from traditional Arabic-Andalusian sounds to Jazz and Western forms including Blues. The band which specializes in fusing genres, bring to life a vision for the unbridled fusion of Arabic, Jazz, and Blues music. It is a perfect alchemy for music to transcend the boundaries of genre and geography. The trio is comprised of M E L M’rabet who has earned him national and international acclaim as a virtuoso on the Oud; Ron Davis, an outstanding musician on Piano, and Rick Lazar a percussionist genius on assorted percussions and drums.
The group will play a combination of original repertoire composed by EL M’rabet and re-arranged traditional Arabic-Turkish and other music influences with a modern twist, music that incorporates eastern modes and complex time signatures. It is a music journey where east meets west, and quarter-micro tonalities intertwine with harmony, and moods become modes.
M EL M’RABET
Oud / Guitar / Saz / Guembri / Vocals / Percussion
Musician, composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist, Mel was born to musician parents and grew up in Granada, Andalusia. An oud virtuoso, he has performed the world over with musicians such as Cesaria Evora, Steve Potts, Omar Sosa and Cheb Mami, as well as Chano Dominguez and other prominent Spanish flamenco artists. His mastery of the traditions and his powerful technique has resulted in a very distinctive style of playing that reflects his desire to extend the possibilities for the instrument. Mel's mesmerizing vocals and agile playing will be accompanied by a percussionist, and a pianist.
"He sang and gave his oud, (the fretless stringed ancestor of the Renaissance lute), an exciting, dexterous workout, and for once the Western backup music and technology didn't sanitize or ravage the authenticity of the songs in the way that many traveling bands with their barrage of electronic gadgetry do." ~ Toronto Star
http://www.myspace.com/melm39abet
http://www.reverbnation.com/melmrabet
RON DAVIS
Piano
"...very well may be the most gifted pianist in Canada!" - rivetingriffs.com
Music gives pleasure and makes us think. There's no need to choose intelligence over entertainment. This is what Ron Davis is about.
Ron has coaxed music from his piano since his early youth. Now he shares this passion all over the world, including Asia, which he has toured four times. Ron is a brilliant virtuoso and engaging entertainer. His playing calls to mind Oscar Peterson and Jamie Cullum. Accolades abound.
Ron's most recent CD, his 7th, My Mother's Father's Song, is his first all-trio recording. A celebrated 1930s Polish song about Ron's maternal grandfather lends the CD its title. Bal u grabego Joska is a sensitive, emotional embrace and touching family tribute. Also among the CD's thirteen tracks: My Shining Hour (Arlen & Mercer), For Once in My Life (Stevie Wonder) and Viva la Vida (Coldplay).
Ron works with symphony orchestras to put the "fun" in funky. SymphRonica (symphronica.com) superimposes his unique brand of jazz on the traditional symphonic landscape, to create an unforgettable concert experience. Ron has also led ongoing jazz series, like Ron Davis and Friends and Gate 403 Jam Session.
More than a pianist, Ron has garnered international acclaim as a composer. Rhythmaron: The Music of Ron Davis (2008) is a deluxe compendium of 23 dazzling original tunes.
In Ron's hands and ears-on workshop, Playing Along to surpass (playingalongtosurpass.com), he teaches how to translate jazz performance techniques into business success. It's cool. It works.
Ron's written word compositions include Piano babbler (pianobabbler.com), his irreverent, urbane blog of musical musings. It's his privilege to pen keyboard columns in Canadian Musician magazine. He's published and edited numerous articles and books on music, linguistics and law.
After studies at the Royal Conservatory of Music, Ron's talent gelled as a teen. His mentor was the late Darwyn Aitken, a musical giant who passed on lessons learned at the hands of piano legends David Saperton (classical) and Oscar Peterson (jazz).
RICK LAZAR
RICK SHADRACH LAZAR (drums, percussion) was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. He is descended from the ancient Assyrian people & his Middle Eastern musical roots can be heard in his Afro-Latin-New World Fusions. His knowledge of world drums and music combined with passionate energy have made him first call for a diverse array of artists including Bruce Cockburn, Barry White, Paul Shaffer, Brian Hughes, The Blues Brothers, Levon Ichkhanian, and Vuja De, as well as being a regular collaborator (since 1990) with Loreena McKennitt on five of her CDs, including the JUNO Award-winning The Visit and Book of Secrets which reached #1 on Billboard Magazine's music charts. He was also part of McKennitt’s 1998 European and North American Tours.
Returning to Canada, Lazar established himself in Toronto, performing with jazz fusion band, Manteca, and doing a variety of record dates, film sessions, and jingles. In the early 80's, Rick formed Coconut Groove, a high-energy dance band featuring ground-breaking "World Beat & Jazz Rap". In 1987, he formed the Montuno Police six piece instrumental band dazzling audiences in at the Toronto and Montreal International Jazz Festivals and releasing three critically-acclaimed CDs with them. He is also the creator and artistic director of Samba Squad, a dynamic group of 30 percussionists, forging new traditions in Brazilian "batucada"
