Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

WorldBeat Center Concert: Turiya Mareya & Friends

Friday night, the World Beat Cultural Center hosted a double-bill concert featuring the sounds of the African diaspora as interpreted through the mind of Turiya Mareya and musical friends.

Opening were the Women's Spirit Music Ensemble, featuring Toni Pope, Ayanna Hobson, Angela Dias Crocitti, and Mary Lou Valencia.

They began with the otherworldly sounds of Pope's circular breathing on the didgeridoo, while Mareya, Crocitti, Hobson and Valencia all employed percussion instruments and chanting to set up a swirling, spiritual mood.

Pope changed to Tibetan prayer bowls, sending clouds of quavering, resonant overtones around the room while layering eerie, guttural throat-singing on top. She suddenly began intoning the lines, "I am a woman who heals myself," while the others incanted different fragments for a truly surreal effect. Crocitti and Hobson took over with vocals in a highly rhythmic aesthetic. Mareya then took to the piano and delivered a gospel-sounding original with heartfelt vocals.

Ignacio Arnago on electric bass, Irving Soto on congas, Nana Yaw Asiedu on West-African percussion, Paul Ruiz on trumpet, and Dave Millard on flutes, soprano saxophone and alto violin joined the women for a drum-heavy version of "Afro-Blue," that navigated along through the heartbeat thump of Arango's bass, which would provide the pulse for the rest of the evening. Millard took it into the stratosphere with his soprano spot, employing flurries and trills and evoking 'Trane all the way. Ruiz represents a nice amalgam of say, Arturo Sandoval meeting Lester Bowie--lightening strike runs, sculpted by growling phraseology.

They did a mesmerizing version of "Little Sunflower," with excellent solos by Millard, Ruiz, Arango, and especially buoyed by the sparkling congas of Soto.

Later on, guest appearances by violinist Jamie Shadowlight and pianist Lynn Willard took things up a notch on an unannounced Latin tune and "Blue Monk." Willard is a very strong pianist who doesn't get near enough performance opportunities in San Diego--and Shadowlight continues to grow as a soloist.

Fascinating evening of top-notch music that reinforced the fact that life, music and everything else began in Africa.

Photo by Jamie Shaowlight

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

San Diego Reader's Best Of Poll 2024: Remington Tattoo Wins!

Next Article

Ian Anderson’s apogees

The best eating of ten-ish years

Friday night, the World Beat Cultural Center hosted a double-bill concert featuring the sounds of the African diaspora as interpreted through the mind of Turiya Mareya and musical friends.

Opening were the Women's Spirit Music Ensemble, featuring Toni Pope, Ayanna Hobson, Angela Dias Crocitti, and Mary Lou Valencia.

They began with the otherworldly sounds of Pope's circular breathing on the didgeridoo, while Mareya, Crocitti, Hobson and Valencia all employed percussion instruments and chanting to set up a swirling, spiritual mood.

Pope changed to Tibetan prayer bowls, sending clouds of quavering, resonant overtones around the room while layering eerie, guttural throat-singing on top. She suddenly began intoning the lines, "I am a woman who heals myself," while the others incanted different fragments for a truly surreal effect. Crocitti and Hobson took over with vocals in a highly rhythmic aesthetic. Mareya then took to the piano and delivered a gospel-sounding original with heartfelt vocals.

Ignacio Arnago on electric bass, Irving Soto on congas, Nana Yaw Asiedu on West-African percussion, Paul Ruiz on trumpet, and Dave Millard on flutes, soprano saxophone and alto violin joined the women for a drum-heavy version of "Afro-Blue," that navigated along through the heartbeat thump of Arango's bass, which would provide the pulse for the rest of the evening. Millard took it into the stratosphere with his soprano spot, employing flurries and trills and evoking 'Trane all the way. Ruiz represents a nice amalgam of say, Arturo Sandoval meeting Lester Bowie--lightening strike runs, sculpted by growling phraseology.

They did a mesmerizing version of "Little Sunflower," with excellent solos by Millard, Ruiz, Arango, and especially buoyed by the sparkling congas of Soto.

Later on, guest appearances by violinist Jamie Shadowlight and pianist Lynn Willard took things up a notch on an unannounced Latin tune and "Blue Monk." Willard is a very strong pianist who doesn't get near enough performance opportunities in San Diego--and Shadowlight continues to grow as a soloist.

Fascinating evening of top-notch music that reinforced the fact that life, music and everything else began in Africa.

Photo by Jamie Shaowlight

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Turiya Mareya: Double Concert @ WorldBeat Center, August 10

Next Article

Review: JazzMikan+ / Preview: Leah Bowden D.M.A. recital

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader