I play in several bands
and we are available to play at any event, concert, festival, party,
weddings etc. For availability and rates please contact me at
chas@arabicdrum.co.uk .
Please click on the following band name for further info:
PANJANDRUMS -7 piece band fusing Arabic, Spanish, Indian, Balkan, N.
African and Reggae grooves, with dancer.
MAZAJ
-
Ensemble playing traditional Middle Eastern instruments and covering a
wide selection of Arabic and Turkish tunes.
BABYLON ARABIC BAND -
4 piece
group led by Iraqi born Oud player and singer Mohammed Nafee covering a
selection of favourite Arabic tunes.
Simon Leach -
Guitar, Saxaphone, Arabic Percussion and Pipes.
Andy Westwood
– Spanish Guitar, Indian Tabla, Arabic Percussion.
Chas Whitaker
- Arabic Percussion.
Jenny
Black - Flute, Zills and Quarqaba.
Ali
Cross - Electric Bass.
Maren Lueg - Flute,
Saxophone, Ney, Zurna and Turkish Clarinet
This 7-piece band fuse influences from
India, Spain, North Africa, the M. East, the Balkans, Turkey with a dash
of reggae. A wide range of traditional instruments are played from
Spanish Guitar, Indian Tablas and Harmonium, Bendir, Shawm, Ney, Oud,
Darabuka as well as Flutes, Saxophone and Electric Bass. They present a
collection of covers and original compositions with
the exhilarating performance of Karine.
Listen to PANJANDRUMS at their MySpace site :CLICK HERE
Moorish Masala E.P. available for £5.00
PREVIOUS EVENTS
PANJANDRUMS EXTRAVAGANZA No. 4
The aim of these evenings is to bring together as many artists
and dancers involved in Middle Eastern, Turkish, North African,
Spanish, Balkan and Indian styles as possible for audiences
interested in these musical styles.
For our 4th event we are very happy to announce the following
artists :
SOL - Inspired by his Yemeni heritage
and his love of Middle Eastern music, Sol will perform his own
fusion inspired compositions on his own creation, the Mandocello.
SPANISH FLAMENCO GROUP - Featuring Andy
( Guitar ) and Jenny ( flute ) from PANJANDRUMS,
they are joined by renowned dancers John Nash and Katie Gaunt
who have a wealth of dance experience. Tonight the group present
dances form the Andalucian region of Spain.
MARRACHAZ - Featuring Chas ( percussion
) and Maren ( assorted traditional Mid Eastern wind instruments
) from PANJANDRUMS, they are joined by guests
Russell Harris ( Oud ), Richard Hughes ( Accordion ) and
Jonathan on Bass. They will perform a selection of Middle
Eastern classics accompanied by exotic Arabian dance.
PANJANDRUMS- This 7 piece band play a
multitude of traditional instruments from across the Mid.
Eastern, Spanish, Balkan and Indian worlds fusing styles with a
dash of reggae and Balkan grooves to produce an eclectic and
danceable set, topped off with authentic Arabian dance.
Featuring very special guests: Donagh playing
Sitar with Mike Ford on Tabla. Russell Harris playing Oud.
PANJANDRUMS
Live traditional and fusion music from India, Spain
the Middle East with a dash of Reggae and Balkan.
Plus Flamenco and Belly Dance.
WHERE: THE POLISH CLUB - 50 St. PAULS ROAD, CLIFTON. WHEN: SATURDAY 28th Oct.. Doors Open 7.30 p.m.
First act on at 8 p.m. Finish Midnight .
PANJANDRUMS
have played at many events - some notable ones include Shambala
Festival, Jersey Drum and Percussion Festival, Tribe Of Doris
Beltane Afro Fiesta
party, Didj In Devon, Bristol Vegan
Fayre and Drum Camp East.
Maren Lueg.
Traditional Middle Eastern wind instruments ( Ney, Turkish Clarinet,
Zurna ) and Saxophone, Silver and wooden flutes and Clarinet.
Maren was born and raised in Germany and is now resident
in the UK. Inspired by the sounds she heard from the Turkish and East
European communities. She began studying these styles as well as Jazz,
Blues and Latin on the saxophone and flute. She performs regularly with
British and Middle Eastern musicians around the UK and has studied such
traditional Middle Eastern wind instruments as the Nay (bamboo flute)
and Zurna (double reed pipe) in Turkey and Israel. Currently completing
her Masters on the Nay at the London School of African and Oriental Studies.
Chas Whitaker-
Darabuka / Douf / Riq / Zills.
Chas is predominantly self-taught, studying a range of
Middle Eastern and North African percussion. Over the last 15 years he
has been performing and teaching across the UK and abroad. He plays in
several bands and accompanies many Oriental dancers specializing in drum
solos. He teaches locally in South West England and nationally including
the UK’s largest drum festivals as well as teaching in Turkey for Drum
and Dance holidays.
Russell Harris, Oud, Saz Indian
and Middle Eastern percussion
Russell has been involved in the study
and performance of Middle Eastern music since the mid 1980's - After
a initial period of study in Konya,Turkey specialising in Anatolian folk
traditions with Ustat Ahmet Ozdemir, a renowned player of Oud and Saz (
long necked lute ) he broadened the scope of his study to include Arabic
instrumental styles, specialising in Oud and Percussion. Russell has
performed extensively throughout the UK with groups Bazigah, Taaliqa
and Panacea and with a range of international artists including Adel
Salameh and Naziha Azzouz.
Carmen Jones , Middle Eastern
dance.
Carmen began her love affair with Arabic dance in the early 1990's. In
that time she has acquired knowledge from many great teachers along the
way from far and wide. She now shares her joy and experience of the
dance with audiences and students nationwide; from the bright lights of
a theatre to the grassy fields of a festival, Carmen takes much pleasure
in celebrating the occasion with you through her dance.
Listen to MAZAJ at their MySpace site :
Click Here
See MAZAJ featuring Russell on Oud and Karine Butchart, performing at Findhorn, Scotland 2007 :
See Chas, Maren and Carmen performing at the
Best Of The West Middle Eastern Dance Showcase 2007.
See Mazaj featuring Azhar on violin and Jonathan on bass at The Big
Green Gathering 2007 ( NB footage is very dark but good sound )
UPCOMING and PREVIOUS CONCERTS
10/02/2008 - Oxford
An Arabian Night - JSoc Winter Ball
** INDULGE YOUR SENSES IN A 3 COURSE BANQUET IN
A LAVISH BEDOUIN TENT **
** Champagne reception accompanied by a 25 piece
jazz band
** Sit-down sumptuous middle-eastern style dinner
with entertainment from MAZAJ featuring Carmen Jones dancing and
henna tattooist.
** To end the night on a high - dance the night
away to tunes from a RADIO 1 DJ!!
DON'T miss out - reserve your ticket now!
Dress: black tie £50 ** all proceeds of the event
go to a worthy charity **
To reserve your ticket:
email:
OR
Send a cheque made payable to OBSU
Pigeon post it to Rafi Cohen - Lady Margaret Hall .Out-of-towners
..post it to: Rafi Cohen, Lady Margaret Hall, Norham Gardens,
Oxford, OX2 6QA
Everyone welcome, invite as many people as you like!
26/10/2007 FINDHORN - SCOTLAND
26 Oct 2007, 20:00
Findhorn the Park, Findhorn near Inverness, Morayshire, near Inverness,
Scotland IV36
Cost : tbc
Middle Eastern Music and Dance Festival 26-28 of October
Concerts and Belly Dance, Middle Eastern Percussion and Music Workshops.
With Chas, Maren and Karine. Mazaj and The Babylon Arabic Band are
performing.
The Babylon
Ensemble are playing 2 concerts at the festival at Green Futures and the
Avalon Cafe. Chas and Maren are also running workshops in percussion,
music and dance.
The Babylon Ensemble: Maren (Ney, Saxophone, Flute,
Xenor and Turkish Clarinet/ Chas ( Middle Eastern Percussion) /Azhaar(Violin)/
and Russell Harris (Oud and Middle Eastern Percussion) will play Arabic
and Turkish music at the Leamington Peace Festival this year's festival
is on 16-17 June 2007 contact us at: info@peacefestival org.uk
2/03/07
MAJMA MIDDLE EASTERN DANCE FESTIVAL - GLASTONBURY
The Babylon Arabic Ensemble headline this prestigious
Middle Eastern Dance event - N.B. Chas and Maren are booked to play and
teach at Majma 2008. - check out
www.majmadance.co.uk/index.html
This UK based band consists of Iraqi, Scottish, German
and English musicians. Led by M. Nafee Mohammed, they present here a
selection of Mohammed's favourite songs which he performed at parties
and celebrations in Baghdad. Mohammed is now hosting parties and
performing for new audiences around the UK with the talented musicians
he has discovered here.
THE BABYLON ARABIC BAND CD “SAMRA” IS NOW AVAILABLE IN ALL MAJOR
UK RECORD STORES AND ATAmazon.co.uk or
Aladdin's Cave
"If you were being perversely optimistic, you might
argue that one positive result of the catastrophic situation in Iraq is
that so many of its fine musicians are now living abroad and sharing
their country's rich culture with the rest of us. The singer and Oud
(lute) player M Nafee Mohammed has found his way to Edinburgh, from
where he tours all over Scotland and leads The Babylon Arabic Band. The
other members of the group are local performers who have studied Middle
Eastern music, and their first recording features a good selection of
Oriental traditional favourites. Mohammed has a fine voice and the other
musicians especially percussionist Chas Whitaker play with a
balanced sense of authentic style. At the same time the performances are
pretty four-square and rarely venture beyond the basic rendition of the
tune : though things do start to move more freely on Il Bulbul; when
Maren Lueg's sax playing bounces around the melody. The relative
simplicity of the performances would make this a good choice for
learning your first bellydance steps to, or transcribing some well known
Arab tunes to play along with ." - Bill Badley -
SONGLINES World Music Magazine Issue 47 Nov. 2007.
