Lucia Comnes on vocals and violin, Sean Stillinger on bass (myspace.com/seanstillinger), Aharon Wheels Bolsta on world trap kit (rhythmwheels.com) and Will Bates-Minou on drums.
Special guests include Dan Cantrell on accordion (www.bellowhead.com), Pat Duffey on guitar and many others...
Influences
Traditional music of Ireland, Eastern Europe, Turkey, India, West Africa, and Brazil, crossed with the best of American styles, including Jazz and Motown. A truly original and unique expression of world music!
Sounds Like
Something between Dead Can Dance, Loreena McKennitt, Susheela Raman, Solas, Zap Mama, Kitka, Gigi and nothing you have ever heard before...
Celtic Mediterranean Dance Party!!!
Irish melodies meet Turkish rhythms and Indian Tabla, striking Bulgarian vocals meet Motown grooves, soulful Gypsy songs in various languages meet upbeat drum & bass lines, West African vibes cross original songs, and all these traditional influences are revived against a backbone of Jazz.
Check out with DATEBOOK of the SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE had to say:
Sunday, September 14, 2008 (SF Chronicle)
CD: Lucia Comnes, 'On the Way'
The original article can be found on SFGate.com here:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/09/1/PK4K12O6SF.DTL
"Solas and other musical groups have done the traditional Irish folk
song "Calling Home the Calves" (Aililiu Na Gamhna), but Lucia Comnes
has taken it to a higher level, using her singular voice and two
instruments from the Indian subcontinent - bansuri flute and shruti
box - to create a goose-bumpy tableau of nature and memory. "Calling
Home the Calves" is one of numerous delights on Comnes' new album,
"On the Way," which takes songs from across borders - including from
Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria - and interprets them anew while
retaining the original language. The result: a cascade of tunes (plus
a jazzy Comnes original) that are otherworldly and embedded with soul
and spirit. On many songs, violin merges with accordion, electric
bass and other instruments, then is capped by Comnes' vocalizations,
which cross musical chasms. Comnes lives in the Bay Area, but her
home is really the world at large."
World music
LUCIA COMNES
ON THE WAY
INDEPENDENTLY PRODUCED
$16
Copyright 2008 SF Chronicle
Lucia Comnes on iTunes: www.itunes.com/luciacomnes/ontheway
BIO
Best summarized as:
"Diversity is the critical ingredient in the works of classically trained violinist Lucia Comnes. Enchanted by Europe and its diverse musical sounds, the San Francisco native has traveled to and studied the music of Ireland, Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria. After experiencing success with KITKA, an internationally acclaimed vocal ensemble specializing in Balkan/Eastern European folk music, Comnes has concentrated on creating her own style of music, blending the best of everything she uncovered in the travels, all set against a backbone of...wait for it...jazz. What results is her own genre of instrumental mastery."
- Monterey County Weekly, California
Lucia Comnes is a singer and violinist who interprets songs from many traditions. With a rich background in performance and ethnomusicology, she sings in more than 30 different languages and leads a band that reflects this cultural versatility. An emotive and stunning performer, she takes her audience on a journey around the world as well as into the depths of the human soul. An aspiring composer, Lucia’s first original song, “Water,” debuts on her new album, “On the way.”
You have surely heard about the tragic death of a brave young woman who was murdered in Iran just for peacefully protesting with her father on the streets of Teheran.
Ignite! Spear Ensemble invites transcendence from self as you know it, in their newest work, conceived by G. Randall Wright. Come play in the spaces in between with Mary and her dream cast of musical, acrobatic, mythic troubadours as they reincarnate instantly from dream to dream. Mary’s DreamTheatre on stage at the Garage for a limited run July 17th and 18th, 975 Howard Street in San Francisco. For tickets go to www.SpearEnsemble.com
hi Lucia, thank you for the friendship, it's a pleasure having you among my friends. my best compliments for you music. i wish you great successes in all your pursue. greetings from Italy. Federico Martello
I finally got a chance to listen to the tracks you recorded with Gawain. Really beautiful stuff!! I hope you are doing well and staying busy. xo, Lindsay Erin
Online Now!
