On January 11th, ten artists from around the globe came together at Lincoln Center to celebrate music that’s often ignored on American charts at globalFEST.
From mourful yet moving South Asian Khayal by the Saami Brothers, to David Rivera & La Bámbula’s Latin jazz and salsa, to Insun Park & Generals’ South Korean hard rock with traditional flavor, globalFEST featured masters of their craft across three stages in the David Geffen Hall. Now in its 23rd year, the festival aims to promote music that is rarely heard in the U.S.
The Saami Brothers, featuring Ustad Naseeruddin Saami, kicked off globalFEST in the Wu Tsai Theater with their take on Khayal. Known as the living embodiment of Delhi Qawwal Bacha Gharana – a musical style originating in the 14th century – the Saami family is the last to practice this unique and spiritual music. Featuring haunting and mournful harmonies, the family improvises their songs on the spot. Their Khayal is a deeply spiritual experience that combines Turkish, Arabic, and South Asian traditions into one unified experience. Their performance, while profound, is best listened to with a mindset seeking meaning, as their songs use similar melodic phrases repeatedly. This lulling effect is wonderful for self-reflection, but can also be monotonous or sleep-inducing.
Following the Saami Brothers was Maria Mazzotta, an Italian operatic singer. Performing in the lobby of David Geffen Hall, she combined traditional soprano virtuosity with rock and folkloric traditions to create a powerful visual and harmonic experience. Calling where she comes from, “a little strip of land in the Mediterranean sea,” she dedicated her set to “all those who perished in the sea.” It was impossible not to associate those statements with migrants fleeing persecution and war – especially as she started the set wearing a gold emergency blanket like what would be given to someone after a rescue. Her haunting vocals rang out over a wailing guitar and steady bass for most of the set, making it feel like her message was more quintessential than creating a joyous sonic experience.
At the same time as Maria Mazzotta, David Rivera & La Bámbula were up in the Grand Promenade. In the most challenging acoustic space of the night, the Latin Jazz and Bomba big band was in front of a shoulder-to-shoulder packed crowd. Playing through a repertoire of jazz, bachata, salsa, and Bomba, the band got the crowd dancing with powerful polyrhythms and solos from across the horn, rhythm, and vocal sections. Citing the current political crisis in the United States, Rivera said, “In tough times like this, music does what it does best [unites us].” The crowd responded by dancing even harder in a rebellious celebration of joy.
Finally making their U.S. debut, Insun Park & Generals shut down the Karen and Richard LeFrak Lobby with their combination of hard rock and shamanic folk songs from South Korea. Insun Park had the best stage presence of the night, twirling, jumping, and singing her heart out. The band effectively combined traditional instruments like the taepyeongso with contemporary hard rock and punk to create beautiful, danceable songs. Insun Park’s clear vocals cut through her band’s strong playing style, providing a wonderful contrast on stage.
The one problem, if there is one, at globalFEST is that most of the bands are in spaces that are not truly set up for music. The lobby and grand promenade are not designed for concerts and filled up mere moments after each set began. At times, security had to move individuals to create walking paths through the crowd and to establish exit routes if necessary. It is wonderful that so many people want to see music from around the world, but I wish there were more spaces in the hall that were actually set up for performances. At the end of the night, that’s a small complaint for being able to host 10 bands in one night.
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