Escalay: middle-eastern jazz March 27, 2009

Escalay ("waterwheel") melds classical Arabic music and jazz in the tradition of John Coltrane. Led by Tom Chandler, a student of the Nubian oud master Hamza El Din, Escalay's repertoire includes music by El Din, Coltrane, John Zorn, Andrew Hill, Ornette Coleman, Oum Kulthum, Arabo-Andalusian music as well as original compositions. Formed in 2006 by oud player and guitarist Tom Chandler, Escalay has an utterly unique musical style, all put into service searching for musical transcendence, or "tarab".

Journey to the middle-east and soak in the latest exhibit at the Pro Arts Gallery with a beer in hand!

Tom Chandler, oud
Micah Patri, drums
Cornelius Boots, bass clarinet
Eugene Warren, bass

Tom Chandler Bio:
One of the foremost oud players in the Bay Area, Tom has long been exploring the meeting ground between Arabic music and jazz. He founded Escalay in 2006, choosing the name as a tribute to his teacher, Nubian oud master Hamza El Din, whose music remains Tom's primary inspiration. As an oud player, Tom has performed with Hamza, recorded and performed with the Latif Bolat Ensemble, performed for the Sema (whirling dervish ceremony) of the Mevlevi Order of America, recorded, performed and composed for early music renegades Heliotrope, and has also studied with Rahim Alhaj and Mohammed Qadri Dalal. In addition, Tom is an exploratory jazz guitarist, leading his own groups in the Bay Area since graduating from the Berklee College of Music in 1992. Tom was a member of world folk troubadours the Palm Wine Boys from 1998 to 2007.

For more information on the artists please visit: http://www.myspace.com/escalay
http://www.tchandler.com/escalay
For latest Pro Arts exhibit go to: http://proartsgallery.org/exhibitions/index.html
More information on B.A.C.H.: www.bayareabach.org

$18 General / $15 Seniors / $12 Students.

Official Website: http://www.bayareabach.org