I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I got tickets for The Night Air: Sufi Trance Music but it sure wasn't the eclectic mix that I heard tonight.
Perhaps I was thinking more of a Dadawa type genre. Anyways, the initial atmosphere was spoiled by a fat guy who decided to sit right in front of me (despite the multitude of better, free seats elsewhere) which resulted in me moving, the poetry readings of the 13th century mystic Rumi by one Professor Cook that sounded more like hell and brimstone fire preaching than emotional musings, and the white guys in the percussion ensemble who wore the traditional African-American costumes (which unfortunately had the same effect as white guys wearing blaring Hawaiian t-shirts). The guitar soloist stuck in the middle of the program who wrote an ode to his dead dog did not help either.
However, the guest drummer made up for the rest of the mediocre fare. Glen Velez with his "dancing hands" made genius work out of simple tamborines (a Japanese tamborine tuned down to "bass" and a Lebanese tamborine called a riq) and the Irish frame drum or bodhran which skimmed with moist fingers while vibrating created a buzzing sound not unlike that of playing wine glasses. I also found his overtone singing fascinating. It's not "real" singing per se, it was more like expelling air out of pursed lips and clenched teeth so the human voice imitated the static of a synthesizer. Anyways, more traditional singing came from his duet with Lori Cotler where they performed some songs on their upcoming album.
