Vocal Vibrations Concert Series
Ends Tomorrow with Mendilow Debut
By Susie Davidson, Correspondent, Cambridge Chronicle, 12/18/2002

Zeitgeist co-producer Manisha Shahane launched a series this past February which sought to combine vocal-oriented acoustic world music acts. The Vocal Vibrations Concert Series’ run, which has included the Morris-Sandvik Duo, Kaoruko, Candida Rose and other artists and ensembles, wraps up tomorrow evening at 8 p.m. at the Zeitgeist Gallery.

Shahane, who will co-host the event, will open with her own group, Manishamusic, which features Cambridge resident Blake Newman on upright bass and Dorchester residents Jerry Leake on tabla/multipercussion and Shahane on voice and piano. The debut of the Guy Mendilow Band, an eight-person local world music act, will follow.

Mendilow’s multinational artistry is complemented in full form by Boston-based soul, R&B and jazz vocalist Lillie Lewis, who recently composed the film score for the award winning picture Nine, mezzo-soprano Carrie Cheron, who melds storytelling finesse with blues and Middle Eastern musical passions, and Idan Ballas, a Jerusalem native and jazz, rock and Middle Eastern guitarist who is currently working towards a degree at Berklee School of Music in film scoring and contemporary writing and production. In addition, the group includes New Orleans bassist Jeff McAuliffe, multifaceted baritone singer Lyman Opie and Mark Nathanson, a veteran jazz drummer known for his percussive adaptations of Afro-Brazilian rhythms.

The group draws on an extensive vocabulary, from Brazilian and Israeli to Hindustani, folk, soul and blues, in vibrant musical storytelling awash with warm harmonies, captivating rhythms and rollicking, fast-paced vocal improvisations,” said Shahane. This isn’t difficult to conceptualize, given that the act features four voices, acoustic guitars, bass, cello, berimbau and drums. The repertoire will range from Mendilow originals, which, Shahane detailed, include playful nonsense music, the dark, pulsing rhythms of the berimbau, folk ballads, bossa beats and music for virtuoso overtone singing to Mendilow's arrangements.” Shahane noted an example of a typical Mendilow composition as a version of a Ladysmith Black Mambazo song reminiscent of Paul Simon.” Mendilow’s record Soar Away Home (Earthen Groove Records, 2001), includes some of this enticing music.

The evening will also feature music by composer Malcolm Dalglish, whose pieces for folk choir have been described as a ‘playground for the voice’,” said Shahane. A John Renbourn arrangement of a fourteenth century traveler's prayer will also be part of the bill.

Shahane has been involved with Zeitgeist since July, 2001; she is currently assisting the gallery in obtaining federal tax-exempt status.

Recently, the following mission statement was adopted by the organization: Zeitgeist Gallery aims to dissolve the barriers between visual and performing arts, and across genres, as a community-based center for cross-cultural and multi-media experimentation for which almost no other home exists. The gallery is dedicated to promoting appreciation of these art forms across the American cultural landscape by fostering a local community of artists involved in this work, empowering them through presentation and exchange with other artists from all over the world, and enabling them to share their work publicly through exhibitions, performance art series, and educational programming. The grassroots origins of the gallery and its volunteer-based organization are key elements to its success in providing the community with a high standard of cultural experience at reasonable cost.”

Since its 1994 founding, the gallery has brought together hundreds of performers, musicians, and artists, and has provided a growing audience for innovative, new and sometimes marginalized artistic efforts collaborations which might otherwise go unnoticed, according to Shahane. Faithful to its name ‘Zeitgeist’, the gallery continues to evolve, embracing the spirit of the times in the context of its mission.”

For more information on the Vocal Vibrations series, click here.

[Manishamusic and The Guy Mendilow Band, Thursday, Dec. 19 at 8:30 p.m. at the Zeitgeist Gallery, located at 1353 Cambridge St. in Inman Square. Doors open at 8 p.m. Suggested admission is $12 for general public, $10 for students. This is an all-ages production. For ticket information, visit the Zeitgest Gallery or call 617-876-6060. Performers’ CDs are sold at the shows.]