Tuned In London

Anglo-Belgian multi-instrumentalist contemporary folk duo Oftentimes straddles some familiar musical horses on a breathless gallop to a land of unfamiliar originality. Among the horses we know (bluegrass fiddle, funky flute, jazzy sax, folk accordion and tight vocal harmonies) sits a carriage of technical prowess as the use of live looping creates rich soundscapes allowing for layered musical acrobatics. Oftentimes trotting out a song in 5/4 or a slow 6, a rocky 4/4 or a jig in 3, “Oftentimes” are as at home lingering over green pastures of touching poignancy as leaping over fiery valleys of searing political commentary. Their fiercely original music is not so much a repetition of known musical styles, rather a reinvention of musical possibilities ('moins une habitude qu’une réinvention') by Wolfe Hogan and Jennifer El Gammal.

Oftentimes' website

Kham, meaning "Raw" in Arabic, is the latest project of Bethlehem-based Nay maestro Faris Ishaq who wowed us with his unique playing of this ancient Middle Eastern flute and simultaneous leg-percussion back in December. Inspired by the raw material of the Nay, made from sugarcane, Faris’ artistic journey honours its Palestinian roots and stretches like none other the potential of this minimalist instrument. Faris is joined by Australian jazz harpist and vocalist Tara Minton, creating an intricate dialogue, and they take their audience on an immersive sonic journey: timeless sounds and modern artistry combine, as they elegantly navigate diverse musical landscapes. We will be raising funds for humanitarian aid to Gaza, organisation to be confirmed.

Faris Ishaq's website

Tara Minton's website

"Ethno Album of the Year" is the nomination attained for their most recent album by Ensemble Gamut!, whose "refreshing, soothing, intriguing and enlightening" music has attracted international interest across genres. This exceptional harp, jouhikko, blockflute (recorder) and voice trio from Finland, who combine and daringly rearrange elements from medieval music and Finnish folk songs, intertwining improvisation and electronic soundscapes, will be playing the London launch of their third album "MI", an exploration of the boundary between the living and the non-living, asking what is alive and what has already faded into extinction. The endangered flowers of the Arctic are a central focus, with this a rallying cry to protect them: there is still time.

From wild flowers to walled gardens: mystical spell-songs, 'rūn' in Old English, are the inspiration for the recently formed London-based Rune, whose fascination with the rare and touching beauty of music dating back 700 years runs deep. They present 14th century Boccaccio’s Decameron, a mosaic of musical stories from early modern Europe, portraying various aspects of human nature and experience through some of the most beautiful music of the time. This special double bill concert draws together two different ensembles whose common love of harp, recorder, ancient strings and vocals will conjure a unique evening guaranteed to impress.

Ensemble Gamut!'s website

Rune's website

Valencia-based Persian/Kurdish-American vocalist and composer Elana Sasson breathes new life into her heritage with a fusion of Persian poetry, Kurdish melodies, jazz harmonies and vivid rhythms. Her “arrestingly beautiful” voice (Songlines Magazine) seamlessly merges tradition with innovation. The liminal sound—at once tender and grooving— of her newly released album ‘In Between’, explores placelessness, longing, belonging and the emotional complexities of navigating between cultures and identities. Elana (voice, saz) will be accompanied by Cypriot Manos Stratis (double bass) and together they will present a programme that moves fluidly between spacious minimalism and intricate melodic complexity.

Elana Sasson's website

New York, long considered a rich melting pot of Blues and Jazz fusions and rhythms often originally from Eastern Europe, France and Spain, will for this Independence Day special, provide the backdrop. Featuring both spoken word and music, Joff Watkins keeps it hot on chromatic harmonica, multi-award-winning Polish violinist Kamila Bydlowska, more often found as concerto soloist, dazzles with her incredible agility and prowess and our local US ex-pat music-making actor Nathan Osgood impresses on guitar and vocals, both sung and spoken, the latter of which you might have come across in film, radio or the stage.

Kamila Bydlowska's website

Meandering majestic rivers in lowland plains, ‘llanos’, tend to produce great music: Zumbao come from a land of hawks, horses and bulls, where feverish harp, guitar, cuatro and percussion enliven fiestas. ‘Joropo’ is the dazzling, high-energy music of the Eastern reaches of the Orinoco valley, where Colombia borders Venezuela. This quartet have known each other from a very young age and are all from musical dynasties, highly educated in their art. Now based in Bogota, young Berklee clarinet scholar Juan Diego Panadero, of similar music pedigree, joins them from the US. Theirs is a polished, upbeat, mostly instrumental ‘música llanera’ featuring elements of jazz, rock, Colombian bambuco rhythms, through which the crazy lament of the clarinet winds its way. Their album ‘Ultrainstinto’ is out in May, the fruit of years of pushing limits and refining to achieve a state of 'musical ecstasy'.

Zumbao on Youtube