Alsarah is an artist in her own right. On stage, she reveals herself. The singer is now following in the footsteps of Ali Hassan Kuban, a tutelary figure of Nubian music in the 70's. Surrounded by an oudist, a bassist and a percussionist, Alsarah weaves bridges between oriental and North African music, nostalgia and modernity. Compositions full of groove and miscegenation that we find in Silt, his first album.
Alsarah, a constructed and committed artist
credit: Arte
Sarah Mohamed Abunama-Elgad was born in Sudan in the early 80s.Following Omar al-Bashir's coup, she and her family are forced to seek shelter in Yemen. Unfortunately, violence caught up with the young woman a few years later and pushed her to settle in the United States, where she currently lives. At the age of 12, she began her musical training at Pioneer Performing Arts Charter High School in Hadley MA. Then she spent 4 years at Wesleyan University studying music with a specialization in ethnomusicology. This life marked by conflict has made Alsarah a travelling artist, particularly marked by the issue of immigration.
Living in Brooklyn, NY, she is a self-proclaimed East African retro-pop artist, working on various projects. She has toured both domestically and internationally with critically acclaimed bands, such as the Nile Project, where she appears on the debut album, Aswan (named in the top 5 international albums by NPR). She has also released a full-length album with French producer Débruit entitled ALJAWAL, as well as an album with her current band, Alsarah & The Nubatones, titled Silt on international tour since its release in 2014.
Between albums, Alsarah also works with the Sudanese Refugee Artists Collective on a number of projects, including the critically acclaimed documentary "Beats of The Antonov."
Alsarah & The Nubatones, the band
photo by Carlos Ramirez
Alsarah & The Nubatones was born out of many dinner conversations between Alsarah and Rami El Aasser about musical "Nubian return" and modern migration patterns, as well as cultural exchanges between Sudan and Egypt. A shared love for the richness of pentatonic sounds and shared migration experiences, broadened the conversation to include Haig Manouki , an Armenian-American oud player, and a Frenchman, Mawuena Kodjovi, bassist and trumpeter born and raised in Togo. Under Alsarah's leadership, the Brooklyn-based band's music grew up in what they dubbed "African retro-pop."
In March 2014, the band released its first album Silt and its fame is very quickly international. It is acclaimed by good reviews, especially with the single Soukura.October of the same year saw the release of "Silt remastered" with remixes by Bodhisattva, Nickodemus, Captain Planet, Chancha via circuito, and many others. It was also selected as one of the best remix albums of 2014 by the prestigious Fact magazine.
Sadly, this year was also marked by the passing of founding member Haig Manoukian. Brandon Terzic, his former student, a brilliant oudist, succeeds him and takes his marks in the group. And how can we not talk about Nahid? This charismatic singer with a voice almost identical to that of Alsarah is now part of the group as a permanent member (here she is in the center of the photo that follows).
A sublime concert at the Institut du Monde Arabe
photo by Nisreen El Yagoubi
So we let ourselves be tempted by the experience of Live Alsarah & The Nubatones for you (and especially for us) at the Arab World Institute on Saturday, April 8th.
No need to know the songs in advance to enjoy this live. Strangers are welcome, every person who can add their voice to the echo and their handclaps to the rhythm of the crowd has their place. The room, although full, left many seats empty. Indeed: half of the audience was up to dance, and physically accompany the vibrations that made the room reason. Alsarah, the singer seen here on the right in the photo, did not hesitate to share with her audience anecdotes about the songs she composes before starting them, mixing laughter with words, then with song. The participation of the audience was incredible and a kind of osmosis was created with all the musicians who improvised solo percussions, bass, banjo …
The stand-ovation brought them back on stage and performed two of their most famous songs: Habibi Safr Mini by the two a cappella singers and Habibi Taal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPOnonHh6a4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkVe0cyqHjo
Since their first show in October 2011, the band has performed nationally and internationally in many prestigious venues and festivals. With their audience that is neither old nor original, Alsarah & The Nubatones have proven time and time again that the soul crosses all cultural and linguistic barriers.
