I play in several bands
and we are available to play at any event, concert, festival, party,
weddings etc. For availability and rates please contact me at
chas@arabicdrum.co.uk .
Please click on the following band name for further info:
Performing Bands
THE ARABIC BALKAN GYPSY BAND
- The ABGBs play songs from across the Arabic,
Balkan and Turkish regions, with dancer.
MAZAJ
- Ensemble playing traditional Middle
Eastern instruments and covering a wide selection of Arabic and Turkish
tunes with dancer.
The following bands are not performing bands
PANJANDRUMS -
7 piece band fusing Arabic, Spanish, Indian, Balkan, N.
African and Reggae grooves, with dancer.
BABYLON ARABIC BAND -4 piece
group led by Iraqi born Oud player and singer Mohammed Nafee covering a
selection of favourite Arabic tunes.
"The ABGB’s passionate, brassy music combines Middle Eastern melodies
with a strong percussive drive and tough bass groove. Exotic dance is
provided by Carmen Jones."
Listen to THE ARABIC BALKAN GYPSY BAND at their
My Space site :
Click Here
Maren Lueg -
Arabic & Turkish Nay Flute, Turkish Clarinet, Zurna, Mizmar and
Saxophone and Silver Flute. Maren was born and raised in Germany and
is now resident in the UK. Inspired by the sounds she heard from the
Turkish and East European communities. She began studying these styles
as well as Jazz, Blues and Latin on the saxophone and flute. She
performs regularly with British and Middle Eastern musicians around the
UK and has studied such traditional Middle Eastern wind instruments as
the Nay (bamboo flute) and Zurna (double reed pipe) in Istanbul and
Cairo.
Chas
Whitaker-
Darabuka / Douf / Riq / Zills. Chas has been studying Middle
Eastern Percussion for over 15 years and has travelled extensively and
studied in Morocco, Turkey, Israel and Egypt. He plays in several bands
such and accompanies many Oriental dancers, specialising in drum solos.
He teaches locally in South West England and nationally including the
UK's largest drum festivals.
David Mowat
- Trumpet / Flugel Horn. David began with street
bands in the early 80s, turning to Blues and Jazz and touring in the UK
with such people as Pete Rosser (Tango Siempre) and Brian Abrahams
(District Six) and with the west-country legends, the Klezmernauts. Work
in Nepal in the 1990s included tutoring a Hindu wedding band. He worked
over three years across Europe with the Bollywood Brass Band before
walking, troubadour style, to Jerusalem, picking up Balkan, Turkish and
Middle Eastern tunes en route, whilst retaining a strong jazz element.
Edd Bateman-
Bass Guitar. Edd began playing world music at the age of 14 with
a Zimbabwean dance band playing all across the UK at venues such as the
Eden Project and Glastonbury festival. Studied modern music and then
went on to teach bass at Plymouth City College. Now playing and teaching
in Bristol with jazz, funk, soul, African and Middle Eastern bands
including the outstanding, remarkable Arabic Balkan Gypsy Band.
Simon
Leach - Oud / Doholla / Tabl Baladi.
An amazing multi percussionist Simon plays far too many instruments
to mention here but is proficient on many Middle Eastern and North
African instruments as well as several Western ones too. In high demand,
Simon features in many musical projects including Panjandrums and
Eastpole Orchestra.
Carmen Jones -
Middle
Eastern dance. and Riq.
Carmen began her love affair with Arabic dance in the early 1990's.
In that time she has acquired knowledge from many great teachers along
the way from far and wide. She now shares her joy and experience of the
dance with audiences and students nationwide; from the bright lights of
a theatre to the grassy fields of a festival, Carmen takes much pleasure
in celebrating the occasion with you through her dance.
ARABIC BALKAN GYPSY BAND repertoire includes the
following, ( we are happy to consider requests to learn and perform
other songs.)
ARABIC:
Ah Ya
Zen, Al Ataba Gazaz, Alf Layla Wa Layla, Ana Fi Intizarak, Aziza, Baladi
Carmen Original Composition, Enta Omri Part 1, Fog Il Nakhal, Il Bulbul,
Il Noam, Original Percussion solos., Raqs Layla, Saiddi Zurna Original
Composition, Shamousa, Sidi Mansour ( Maghrebi ), Talla, Zeina.
TURKISH:
Chiftitelli Original Composition, Nigriz Syrtos, Rampi Rampi, Uskadar,
Yeslim
24th July 2010 -
Trowbridge Village Pump Festival - Horizon Stage
30th
May 2010 - Bristol Eco Veggie Fayre - Main Stage. The Ampitheatre,
Bristol. 6p.m. - £8.00.
4th June 2010 - Bath Fringe Festival, Green Park Brasserie, Bath. 9pm. £5.00
9th June 2010 - Middle Eastern Music, Drum and Dance Camp
- Camerton Community Hall in Timsbury, Somerset, near Bath.
13th
April 2010 - St. Aiden's Church, Fir
Tree Lane, St. George, Bristol, BS5 8QQ
6th March 2010 - MAJMA - Bellydance Festival -
Glastonbury
22nd Feb.2010 21:00 - Bath - The Bell Inn
2009
4th Dec. 2009 - Bristol -Thunderbolt.
20th Nov. 2009 - Bradford On Avon - St Margaret’s Hall
Centre.
"Dear Dave, a huge thanks to you,
Simon, Chas, Ed, Maren and of course Carmen ( who captivated everyone
with her dancing ) for such a brilliant performance on Friday. Please
pass on our sincere thanks...As people left they were really happy, and
the collections bucket alone raised almost £300. Everyone agreed there
was a great atmosphere...which of course was largely down to you, the
band...Monies not yet all sorted but looks like we'll be sending over
£1000 to MAP.....thanks again, best wishes, Judith"
25th Sept. 2009 - St. Georges, Cafe - after show
performance at Natacha Atlas concert.
28th
Jun. 2009 - Tadpole Stage, Green Futures Field ,Glastonbury Festival,
Pilton.
28th Jun. 2009 - Small World Stage, Glastonbury Festival Pilton.9th Jul
2009 - Glastonbury Festival, Pilton.
19th Jun. 2009 - South Bank Arts Centre Bristol.
5th
Jun 2009 - Green Park Brassiere Bath Spa ( Bath Fringe Festival )
27th May
2009 - Spiegeltent, Bath Spa ( Bath Fringe Festival )
8th
May
2009- The Thunderbolt - Bristol.
17th April
2009
- Blue Lagoon - Bristo
7th March
2009 - MAJMA - International BellyDance Festival - Glastonbury
"Majaz perform
traditional songs from across the Middle East and Turkey on traditional
instruments and can provide
spectacular dance.
Maren Lueg.
Traditional Middle Eastern wind instruments ( Ney, Turkish Clarinet,
Zurna ) and Saxophone, Silver and wooden flutes and Clarinet.
Maren was born and raised in Germany and is now resident
in the UK. Inspired by the sounds she heard from the Turkish and East
European communities. She began studying these styles as well as Jazz,
Blues and Latin on the saxophone and flute. She performs regularly with
British and Middle Eastern musicians around the UK and has studied such
traditional Middle Eastern wind instruments as the Nay (bamboo flute)
and Zurna (double reed pipe) in Turkey and Israel. Currently completing
her Masters on the Nay at the London School of African and Oriental Studies.
Chas Whitaker-
Darabuka / Douf / Riq / Zills.
Chas is
predominantly self-taught, studying a range of Middle Eastern and North
African percussion. Over the last 15 years he has been performing and
teaching across the UK and abroad. He plays in several bands and
accompanies many Oriental dancers specializing in drum solos. He teaches
locally in South West England and nationally including the UK’s largest
drum festivals.
Russell Harris, Oud, Saz Indian
and Middle Eastern percussion
Russell has been involved in the study
and performance of Middle Eastern music since the mid 1980's - After
a initial period of study in Konya,Turkey specialising in Anatolian folk
traditions with Ustat Ahmet Ozdemir, a renowned player of Oud and Saz (
long necked lute ) he broadened the scope of his study to include Arabic
instrumental styles, specialising in Oud and Percussion. Russell has
performed extensively throughout the UK with groups Bazigah, Taaliqa
and Panacea and with a range of international artists including Adel
Salameh and Naziha Azzouz.
Carmen Jones , Middle Eastern
dance.
Carmen began her love affair with Arabic dance in the early 1990's. In
that time she has acquired knowledge from many great teachers along the
way from far and wide. She now shares her joy and experience of the
dance with audiences and students nationwide; from the bright lights of
a theatre to the grassy fields of a festival, Carmen takes much pleasure
in celebrating the occasion with you through her dance.
ADDITIONAL MUSICIANS / SINGERS / DANCERS
We can provide more musicians for a fuller sound if required including
percussion, Oud, trumpet, bass and vocals - please contact for full
details.
Caitlyn
- Middle Eastern dance. Caitlyn has
performed and taught internationally, accompanied by musicians ranging
from Arabic bands Mazaj and Mazmeer to rapper Fat Joe. She has danced on
American television, been interviewed by the BBC, and performed at
venues such as the Dorchester Hotel, the Park Lane Hilton, Oxford
University and Whitehall Palace. She is an elegant and versatile
performer, equally comfortable dancing solo or in a company, for an
intimate audience or a banquet hall of hundreds.
She has studied with some of the top dancers and instructors of Egypt,
Turkey, Germany, America, and the U.K., and has taken classes in ballet,
modern dance, Argentine tango, salsa, hip-hop, flamenco and Roman
(Gypsy) dance.
MAZAJ repertoire includes the following, ( we are happy
to consider requests to learn and perform other songs.)
ARABIC
Al Ataba
Gazaz, Alf Layla Wa Layla, Anna Fi Intizarak, Aziza, Baladi Carmen (
Original Composition), Beit Ashar, Bint El Chalbiya, Bint El Balad, Bin
Barach al Youm , Che Mali Wali, Dok al Mazaher( Wedding Zaffa Tune ),
Dulab Hijaz , El Helwa Di, Fog El Nakhal, Il Bulbul, Il Nom, Ishtakillak,
Lamabada, Nasam Aleyn Il Hawa, Noura Noura, Raks El Gamal, Samra Samra,
Sammai Bayati, Sammai Nawather, Shamousa, Sharq Jalaman, Talaa, Ya
Shadi Al Han, Ya Mal el-Sham, Ya Laila Hilwa, Ya Ain Moulaytein.
Listen to MAZAJ at their
My Space site :
Click Here
Watch the MAZAJ SHOWREEL to see Mazaj performing and
their workshops :
See Maren, Chas and Carmen perform live at Glastonbury
Festival 2008 - Broadcast simultaneously on BBC 2 :
UPCOMING CONCERTS
27th-29th August 2010 -
Aeon Festival - Shobrooke Park Estate, Crediton, Devon. -
http://www.aeonfestival.com/ ( FULL BAND )
11th Dec 2010 - Seend Community Center - Melksham -
Rusty Lane. SN12 6NS 8p.m. - Midnight. £10.00.
PREVIOUS CONCERTS
2010
4th June 2010 - Bath
Fringe Festival - Green Park Station, Bath. ( FULL BAND ) 6pm-8pm -
FREE.
5th June 2010 -
Exeter Respect Festival, Main Stage, Big Top, Belmont Park, Exeter (
FULL BAND ) - 2.30pm - 3.15pm - FREE
23rd - 27th June 2010 - Glastonbury Festival,
Somerset. ( Full Band ) Tadpole Stage, Mandala Stage, Small World Stage,
Ancient Futures Stage, West Holts Backstage Stage.
30th April - 1st
May - Bergenfest - Festivalbaren, Hotel Norge Nedre Ole Bulls plass 4,,
Bergen, Hordaland , Norway
10/02/2010 20:00
- Bath - Tantrika
20t/02/2010 20:00
- Bristol - 21-23 Somerville Club
2009
24/9/2009. - Planet
Egypt, London.
8/7/2009 19:30 - Cafe La Strada Frome Festival.
9/7/2009 20:00 - Drum Camp Norfolk.
07/03/2009
- MAJMA DANCE FESTIVAL - GLASTONBURY
28/05/2009 - Radford Mill Farm - Radford
1/03/2009 Exeter University - Arabic Society Cultural Event
2008
13/12/2008 - A NIGHT
IN TUNISIA - JAZZ CAFE - CARDIFF.
"This 7-piece band fuse influences from
India, Spain, North Africa, the M. East, the Balkans, Turkey with a dash
of reggae. A wide range of traditional instruments are played from
Spanish Guitar, Indian Tabla and Harmonium, Bendir, Shaum, Ney, Oud,
Darabuka as well as Flutes, Saxophone and Electric Bass. They present a
collection of covers and original compositions and can provide exotic
Belly Dancers too."
GROUP
MEMBERS
Mike Ford –
Indian Tabla, Arabic Percussion.
Simon Leach -
Guitar, Saxaphone, Arabic Percussion and Pipes.
Andy Westwood
– Spanish Guitar, Indian Tabla, Arabic Percussion.
Chas Whitaker
- Arabic Percussion.
Jenny
Black - Flute, Zills and Quarqaba.
Ali
Cross - Electric Bass.
Maren Lueg - Flute,
Saxophone, Ney, Zurna and Turkish Clarinet
Listen to PANJANDRUMS at their MySpace site :CLICK HERE
Moorish Masala E.P. available for £5.00
PREVIOUS EVENTS
PANJANDRUMS
have played at many events - some notable ones include Shambala
Festival, Jersey Drum and Percussion Festival, Tribe Of Doris
Beltane Afro Fiesta
party, Didj In Devon, Bristol Vegan
Fayre, Butterfly Valley ( in Turkey ) and Drum Camp East.
This UK based band consists of Iraqi, Scottish, German
and English musicians. Led by M. Nafee Mohammed, they present here a
selection of Mohammed's favourite songs which he performed at parties
and celebrations in Baghdad.
THE BABYLON ARABIC BAND CD “SAMRA” IS NOW AVAILABLE IN ALL MAJOR
UK RECORD STORES AND AT
Amazon.co.uk or
Aladdin's Cave
"If you were being perversely optimistic, you might
argue that one positive result of the catastrophic situation in Iraq is
that so many of its fine musicians are now living abroad and sharing
their country's rich culture with the rest of us. The singer and Oud
(lute) player M Nafee Mohammed has found his way to Edinburgh, from
where he tours all over Scotland and leads The Babylon Arabic Band. The
other members of the group are local performers who have studied Middle
Eastern music, and their first recording features a good selection of
Oriental traditional favourites. Mohammed has a fine voice and the other
musicians especially percussionist Chas Whitaker play with a
balanced sense of authentic style. At the same time the performances are
pretty four-square and rarely venture beyond the basic rendition of the
tune : though things do start to move more freely on Il Bulbul; when
Maren Lueg's sax playing bounces around the melody. The relative
simplicity of the performances would make this a good choice for
learning your first bellydance steps to, or transcribing some well known
Arab tunes to play along with ." - Bill Badley -
SONGLINES World Music Magazine Issue 47 Nov. 20th 2007.
Maren Lueg -
Arabic & Turkish Nay Flute, Turkish Clarinet, Zurna, Mizmar and
Saxophone and Silver Flute. Maren was born and raised in Germany and
is now resident in the UK. Inspired by the sounds she heard from the
Turkish and East European communities. She began studying these styles
as well as Jazz, Blues and Latin on the saxophone and flute. She
performs regularly with British and Middle Eastern musicians around the
UK and has studied such traditional Middle Eastern wind instruments as
the Nay (bamboo flute) and Zurna (double reed pipe) in Istanbul and
Cairo.
Chas
Whitaker-
Darabuka / Douf / Riq / Zills. Chas has been studying Middle
Eastern Percussion for over 15 years and has travelled extensively and
studied in Morocco, Turkey, Israel and Egypt. He plays in several bands
such and accompanies many Oriental dancers, specialising in drum solos.
He teaches locally in South West England and nationally including the
UK's largest drum festivals.
David Mowat
- Trumpet / Flugel Horn. David began with street
bands in the early 80s, turning to Blues and Jazz and touring in the UK
with such people as Pete Rosser (Tango Siempre) and Brian Abrahams
(District Six) and with the west-country legends, the Klezmernauts. Work
in Nepal in the 1990s included tutoring a Hindu wedding band. He worked
over three years across Europe with the Bollywood Brass Band before
walking, troubadour style, to Jerusalem, picking up Balkan, Turkish and
Middle Eastern tunes en route, whilst retaining a strong jazz element.
Edd Bateman-
Bass Guitar. Edd began playing world music at the age of 14 with
a Zimbabwean dance band playing all across the UK at venues such as the
Eden Project and Glastonbury festival. Studied modern music and then
went on to teach bass at Plymouth City College. Now playing and teaching
in Bristol with jazz, funk, soul, African and Middle Eastern bands
including the outstanding, remarkable Arabic Balkan Gypsy Band.
Simon
Leach - Oud / Doholla / Tabl Baladi.
An amazing multi percussionist Simon plays far too many instruments
to mention here but is proficient on many Middle Eastern and North
African instruments as well as several Western ones too. In high demand,
Simon features in many musical projects including Panjandrums and
Eastpole Orchestra.
Caitlyn
- Middle Eastern dance. Caitlyn has
performed and taught internationally, accompanied by musicians ranging
from Arabic bands Mazaj and Mazmeer to rapper Fat Joe. She has danced on
American television, been interviewed by the BBC, and performed at
venues such as the Dorchester Hotel, the Park Lane Hilton, Oxford
University and Whitehall Palace. She is an elegant and versatile
performer, equally comfortable dancing solo or in a company, for an
intimate audience or a banquet hall of hundreds.
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