“Groundbreaking” music comes to the Community Concert Hall

April 22 with LYNX and Janover, and special guest Youssoupha Sidibe

 

A unique evening of groundbreaking music is set for Thursday, April 22, as the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College welcomes the eclectic duo LYNX and Janover, with special guest Youssoupha Sidibe and the Mystic Rivers Band.

“LYNX and Janover” combines the one-woman, multi-genre show of LYNX with the inventive rhythms of Jamie Janover. Together the pair creates a diversified harmonic blend of all original hip-hop and down-tempo electronica grooves combined with folk style song writing, guitar, beat boxing, rhyming, amplified mini-kit percussion and the sounds of the hammered dulcimer.

LYNX, considered a musical innovator, has broken new ground on the Jam Band scene and beyond. Playing and performing since age seven, the 22-year-old tackles numerous instruments, rhythms and vocals in what has been called “a feverish display of innovation.”

Having shared the stage with performers ranging from Rahzel and Matishayu to String Cheese Incident, LYNX is dedicated to crafting unrivaled musical passages filled with passion and soul. An outstanding vocalist, she uses her gift to channel the pulse of the streets and inspire her audiences to move with the beats.

Janover is a world-renowned hammered dulcimer wizard and has been honored as the instrument’s Player of the Year. Ever pushing the limits of the dulcimer along with the fire drums and other percussive instruments, he’s succeeded in meshing the timeless with today’s dance scene. 

Janover, committed to entrancing live performances, is the creator of the mini-kit, a miniature amplified drum kit, and the Realmsmobile, a tricycle fashioned with the mini-kit that allows him to perform and ride. He draws influences from photography, art, music and travel, resulting in a musical style that is a kaleidoscope of world culture. His rigorous touring schedule is punctuated with performances and collaborations with PRAANG, ZILLA, SPORQUE and the Everyone Orchestra.

The show also features the hypnotic Youssoupha Sidibe who fuses traditional West African sounds on the Kora (an indigenous harp) with the Sufi devotional chanting of the Senegalese Baa Faa community. The angelic sounds of the Kora, soulfully carry Youssoupha’s devotional lyrics sung in Wolof, Arabic, French and English, and reflect his longing for a full realization of divine love in the world.

A graduate of the Senegalese Conservatory of Music, the Grammy-nominated Youssoupha has performed with a variety of exceptional musicians, including Matisyahu, Michael Franti, India Arie, Michael Kang of String Cheese Incident, Chris Berry Trio and Midnite. The newly-released Youssoupha and Midnite’s “For All” is the first complete album collaboration of African and Caribbean Reggae.

Noted Muata Kenyata, director of performing arts and lectures at San Francisco State University, Youssoupha is “Hypnotic…melodic pure Kemetic expression conjuring deep memories of spirits past and present . Youssoupha Sidibe is the genuine article as the tradition still lives and breathes even after thousands of years.”

            Review sample songs and show videos for LYNX and Janover at www.myspace.com/lynxandjanover. Music samples and videos for Youssoupha Sidibe are available at www.myspace.com/youssouphasidibe.

Tickets for LYNX and Janover, with Youssoupha – $18 for Orchestra and Balcony, $25 for Plaza – are available on the web at www.durangoconcerts.com or by calling 970.247.7657 or 877.282.9992, or at the Ticket Office in Downtown Durango at 7th and Main Ave. All sales final.

Curtain is 7:30 p.m., with doors to the Concert Hall and concessions, serving beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages and snacks, opening at 6:30 p.m.

The Community Concert Hall is located in the growing arts complex of Fort Lewis College.  It operates through a partnership with the college, a state-supported, independent institution of higher education, as well as the city of Durango, and with financial and in-kind contributions from generous members of the community.