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Meet David Buchbut

David Buchbut playing the riq. Photo courtesy of Layali El Andalus.
David Buchbut playing the riq. Photo courtesy of Layali El Andalus.

David is the third member of this year’s guest musical ensemble, Layali El Andalus (along with Rachid Halihal and Daphna Mor).  He is the group’s “beat keeper,” playing the riq, dumbek and frame drum. I would describe David as a “gentle giant” — bean-pole tall and thin with a warm smile and a quiet countenance.  But, when he picks up one of his percussion instruments, all of that changes.  In this year’s show you will hear David’s percussion beat strongly supporting the full company (of about 80 singers and instrumentalists) in pieces like “Seven Ways to Cook an Eggplant” and delicately bouncing along with the children’s chorus as they sing and play on stage.

In looking around for some basic facts about David, I found a wonderful article entitled “Mr. Tambourine Man,” by Dan Friedman.  Below is a terrific description of the instruments that David plays…

The tambourine, or “riq” as it’s called in Arabic, is actually, despite its Western connotations of preschool classrooms, a staple of classical Arabic music. Unlike kids or folk dancers who shake or clap it, classical musicians hold it vertically and still, at knee level.  Like the larger bongolike dumbek, there are three major categories of sound: the “dum” the “tak” and the “kat.” But on the riq,each note can be varied not only by the tension and pace of the hand or the number of fingers applied, but also by the amount of accompanying jingle, the tautness of the drum skin and the amount of resonance the player allows any given beat or sequence.

It has been an amazing lesson for me to watch and hear the many sounds that a skilled player can draw from this instrument.  David has also been warm and welcoming to chorus percussionists like Guen Spilsbury (who is playing his frame drum on a couple of pieces) and our “staff percussionist” and sound effect’s man, Don Spinelli.  And with five more performances remaining to this year’s Christmas Revels, you have many opportunities to come and hear him too!

Read more from this article at: http://www.forward.com/articles/110998/#ixzz1foldNbiU
Learn more about Layali El Andalus at: http://www.layalielandalus.com/

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Meet Rachid Halihal

Rachid Halihal with his Oud
Rachid Halihal holding his Oud.
Photo by Elizabeth Fulford Miller

This year we are lucky to have two specialist music groups for our Christmas Revels show. The Arab Andalus group of musicians is named Layali El Andalus and is led by Rachid Halihal.

Rachid is a world-class musician who brings, to us, the true character and spirit of music from Andalusian Spain, the diverse regions of Morocco, and North Africa. As a child, growing up in Morocco, Rachid played the nei and sang, imitating the famous singers of the time. At age fourteen he entered “Dar Aadyil” the Conservatory of Music in Fez. At first he studied Western classical and Andalus music on piano and violin. He soon expanded to include a variety of other instruments in order to better express his native music. In addition to his voice, which is best featured in the Andalus style, his strongest instruments are the oud (similar to a lute without frets) and the violin, which he plays in both the classical manner and upright resting on the knee for Moroccan folkloric music.

Layali El Andalus rehearsing with Tina Chancey and Elisabeth Myers
Layali El Andalus rehearsing with Tina Chancey and Elisabeth Myers. Photo by Elizabeth Fulford Miller

Rachid arrived this Friday evening  (November 25th) from Colorado, where he was presenting workshops and concerts in Boulder and Denver. Soon after his arrival he began rehearsing with local musicians Tina Chancey (you’ll hear more about her soon) and Elisabeth Myers–Tina and Elisabeth will be joining Layali El Andalus on a few of their songs, and the Washington Revels chorus will be singing with the group as well.

Learn more about Rachid by visiting his Web site (rachidhalihalmusic.com).  And, visit the Layali El Andalus band Web site to learn more about his group (ayalielandalus.com).  We are so excited to have them as part of this year’s Christmas Revels.

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Meet Daphna Mor

Daphna Mor playing the ney
Daphna Mor playing the Ney
Daphna Mor playing the Ney. Photo by Elizabeth Fulford Miller

As I mentioned previously, we have two guest artist groups joining us for this year’s Christmas Revels show.  Over the next few days, I would like to profile each separate musician so you all can learn a bit more about them and the many talents and skills they bring to our show.

Daphna Mor is originally from Tel Aviv, Israel, and began her music studies at the age of eight. She graduated as the valedictorian of her class in the Boston Conservatory of Music for recorder performance. She plays all size recorders from the sopranino to bass recorder. In other words, she is a master recorder player who specializes in early music of the Rennaissance and Baroque era. But, I guess that just wasn’t enough…

In that spirit, over the last several years she has also included in her wind collection, the snakecharming sounds of the crumbhorn, the turkish outdoor party instrument, the Zurna, the melodica, and has been specializing in the classical Arabic flute, called the ney.  As part of Layali El Andalus, Daphna plays various neys and recorders.

When Daphna worked with the chorus on October 29 (with Rachid Halihal), she told us all about the ney.  First of all, it is hard to play (really hard…) — you have to both blow into the mouthpiece as well as over the mouthpiece so that 50% of the air will go in and the other 50% out. This is why it is played from the side of the mouth. The ney is made of a hollow cane or reed with five or six finger holes and one thumb hole. Daphna explained to us that she had a different ney for every key that she plays in (as evidenced in the bag of instruments shown below).

Daphna's bag of recorders and neys
Daphna's bag of recorders and neys. Photo by Elizabeth Fulford Miller.

Daphna will be featured in the 2011 Christmas Revels, playing the ney, as part of the Layali El Andalus group.  But, we are very lucky that Daphna is also a master recorder artist, and she will be featured in many of the Spanish Renaissance pieces in the show as well.  Did I spark your interest?  If so, here are some links to learn more:

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Greetings from Music Land

Rachid Halihal and Daphna Mor of Layali El Andalus working with the Washington Revels adults and teens
Rachid Halihal and Daphna Mor of Layali El Andalus working with the Washington Revels adults and teens

One month from now, we will be opening The Christmas Revels in Lisner Auditorium!  Whoa…

Over here in “music land,” there are lots of moving parts this year.  First, there is the chorus — made up of adults and teens, and numbering about 55.  We have been learning music in Spanish, Catalan, Judeo-Spanish (otherwise, known as Ladino), and Arabic.  We have been rehearsing since the beginning of September, but things are really picking up now!  This year, we have two groups of specialist musicians (in addition to the fabulous Washington Revels brass), and we have already gotten to work with both of them.

Last weekend, Layali El Andalus came down from New York City to  teach us their music, and then they performed in a salon-concert that evening.  You can learn more about them at http://revelsdc.org/revels2011/layalielandalus.html.  They are fantastic musicians and really great teachers.  We had lots of fun learning their music.

Last night, we had a visit from Trio Sefardi (Howard Bass, Tina Chancey and Susan Gaeta).  They specialize in Sephardic music (music of the Spanish Jews).  Howard plays lute and guitar, Susan sings and plays guitar, and Tina… well, she plays just about everything (there will be more about her later).  Learn more about these great musicians here: http://revelsdc.org/revels2011/triosefardi.html.  They will be presenting a salon-concert with Sephardic singer, Flory Jagoda, on November 17.

Meanwhile, we have an amazing group of children, busily learning their music — and guess what, they sing in Spanish, Catalan, Ladino, and Arabic too!  And we have lots of guitars (who happen to be members of our chorus), and some fiddlers, and a recorder player… so, stay tuned for lots more about this year’s music.

Want more information on the show or to buy tickets? Click here!