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RAISINHILL AND JAAFAR | NORTH CAROLINA

Raisinhill and Jaafar | The De La Luz Performance Space | Carrboro, NC | 04.06.03

Words by: Paul Kerr

It was a night of new experiences: two groundbreaking new bands playing Chapel Hill's newest performance space.
The De La Luz @ Temple Ball, is technically in Carrboro, next door to Chapel Hill. Local scenester Rick Rameriz opened the venue about six months ago, seeking to create a space that would both inspire and nurture the musicians who played there. Decorated with murals, tapestries and photos of musicians (all for sale), De La Luz instantly became the best venue in town. The front part of the space is the Temple Ball Art Gallery, which features paintings, indigenous art, glassworks and more. The ticket price even includes free micro brewed kegs (while they last).

Local act Jaafar was first to the stage, erupting into what the band’s website accurately describes as "Middle Eastern jazz, Arabic funk fusion." Bandleader and acoustic bass guitarist Troy Cole explained that Jaafar was an old Islamic name meaning "forgiveness," which is closely related to one of the 99 names of Allah. He took the name while on a six-month trip to Egypt. Upon his return he formed Jaafar, a band that seeks to combine the spirituality and ethereal nature of Eastern culture with the driving force of Western rock, as embodied by such acts as John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra. Jaafar is a fluid experiment, alternating between acoustic and electric performances with a varying cast of characters playing with the band.

Jaafar displayed its influences proudly, opening with a scorching rendition of Jonas Hellborg's "Death That Sleeps in Them," from his 1995 album Octave of the Holy Innocents. Pat Madison's screaming sounds on his six and twelve-string double-neck electric guitar blasted through this explosive number, tearing down any walls between cultures that continue to keep people apart. The original "Divine Duality" led into a cover of "Meeting of the Spirits," which was the very first song on the very first Mahavishnu Orchestra album, 1971's The Inner Mounting Flame. Drummer Nathan Logan, who also plays with Squirrel Nut Zippers spinoff band Jackie O. Pillbox, got his workout for the week, as uber-percussionist Ned Percival added counter-rhythms and texture throughout. Vishnu Gangadaran's intricate keyboard playing rounded out the quintet. Their set wrapped up with another original called "Ifrica." Jaafar is keeping the spirit of fusion alive, infusing it with a modern vitality. If you like your musical styles varied and without boundaries ("You got your jazz in my peanut butter!") treat yourself to an evening with Jaafar.

CLICK HERE FOR LINK TO JAMBASE.COM

SHAKORI HILLS GRASSROOTS FESTIVAL

April 16 2004

Fusion aces Jaafar took the stage to feature their mystical mind meld of Eastern and Western cultures. Bandleader and acoustic bassist Troy Cole led the charge of these sonic superheroes, as they combined the spiritual aestheticism of the abstract world with the force and driving power of Western rock. Guitarist Matt Parker was making his debut performance with the band, but nobody in the crowd could have guessed, as his double-neck guitar gambles floored everyone there to witness it.

Jaafar
WEB SITE: www.jaafarmusic.com
CONTACT: jaafar@blazemail.com
LATEST CD: Jaafar, available at Temple Ball Gallery in Carrboro, online and at shows
FILE UNDER: Shakti, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jonas Hellborg

Jaafar has a weekly gig at BAKUS on 9th St. in Durham on Saturday from 7-10pm. Jaafar is a fusion of the eastern influence with a western jazz approach. Troy the bass player studied abroad in Egypt, and is joined by Naji from Lebanon, Soner from Turkey, Vishnu from India, Antonio is from Chile. It is an eclectic world sound expanding the sound of jazz.

from The Independent August 6th 2003

In fusion

B Y

L A U R E N H O O K E R

The birth of a band can often be an impromptu thing--it can be brought about by the desire of fame, a particularly bad break-up, or sheer boredom. Troy Cole, bassist and founder of Jaafar (Arabic, "forgiveness"), started his band after half of a year of world travel and profound spiritual experience. When this Chapel Hill native returned home from an extended stay in Egypt, he set out on a mission to fuse together the lithe, haunting tones of Middle Eastern music with funk and jazz--not an easy goal. But the very flexible nature of Jaafar--a group which ranges from solo performances to quintets to septets--allows this to happen. Jaafar is world, music, and world-music exploration at its best. See them this weekend at Bakus, performing as an acoustic quartet: bass, percussion and oud, a North African instrument comparable to a lute. Show begins at 7 p.m., 286-0777 for more info.

www.jaafarmusic.com.

Jaafar | 11.14.03 | ArtsCenter | Carrboro, NC

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Jaafar is a North Carolina collective bridging the gap between Eastern and Western cultures. With a rotating cast of characters, including distinct acoustic and electric incarnations, fans are never quite sure which version of the band will emerge but the sound and philosophy always remains. Bandleader and acoustic bass guitarist Troy Cole formed the group in 2002 after traveling extensively in Egypt, where he absorbed a deep sense of music's inherent spiritual power. Jaafar seeks to explore both the driving thump of Western rock as well as the intangible aesthetics embodied in the Eastern traditions. Indeed, they often call their sound "Mahavishnu Orchestra meets Jimi Hendrix in Egypt." Their ArtsCenter appearance in Carrboro, NC was even more special and emotional as the entire show was a memorial for Troy's wife Susan Porucznik Cole, who passed away unexpectedly in August.

The band is full of veteran world musicians playing a variety of instruments. Guhl plays the electric guitar, oud, khanjera and saaz, while Vishnu Gangadharan flies across the fingerboards of his electric and acoustic pianos. Naji Hilal, originally from Lebanon, handles the oud, ney, viola and flamenco guitar. Antonio Arce twirls and rolls across the drum set, and Soner Cicek, originally from Turkey, adds percussive pulses through his darbuka and saaz. Special guest Sandy Blocker also joined the band on additional African percussion. Performances usually focus on either the acoustic or electric side of the band, but this show was a rare occasion featuring both sides of Troy's musical brain, with the first set acoustic and the second set electric.

The acoustic first set opened with the biting melody and percussive thump of "Hakim," a composition based on a modern Egyptian pop song. They continued with the funkified bass, furious flamenco guitar, and jazz-inflected piano melodicism of "Al Malik Al Maluk," which translates to "The Kingdom of His Kingdom" and is based on "The Happy Sheik" by Rabih Abou Khalil. Troy's bass solo effortlessly touched on various musical traditions at once, spanning the world from raga to rock. They followed with the West African-influenced "Ifrica," whose crushing melody and delicate interplays featured the band soaring over a bed of rhythm and groove. The tasty bass excursions paved the way for the various string explorations as the song unraveled.

Jaafar isn't afraid to explore the dark spaces in the music, bending and twisting the melodies until each last possibility has oozed out. Although the music always serves as positive inspiration, the deeper emotions and scarier places are also searched out and traversed. The set rolled on with a very non-traditional, improv-heavy version of the traditional folk song "Shashkin." A rendition of Egyptian composer Riad Al-Sunbati's "Longa Riaad" followed, along with the slaphappy bounce of "Kheli Belik" and the off-tempo attack of "Infinite Search." They closed out the first set with "Hero With a Thousand Faces," the various percussion instruments conspiring to inspire and perspire each other in a tidal wave of rhythmic sounds.

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Switching over to electric instruments for the second set, Jaafar tore straight back into the niche, opening with Jonas Hellborg's "Death That Sleeps in Them." The atmospheric opening offered a hidden sense of complacency, but soon the jazz mayhem crept in, and the song exploded in a burst of fusion frenzy. Electric guitar held down the groove as the band chugged on mercilessly, pounding through chunky chord changes and driving drum rolls. "Akasha" was up next, its title stemming from an ancient Indian tradition in which the universe reveals itself through motion and space. The space is called "Akasha," and the song reveals and propels itself through electric keyboards coasting over guitars and a pulsing beat.

The frenetic bass runs and guitar interpolations of "Al Baqarah" came next as the band settled into a catchy funk-pop groove. This lead into "No Questions Asked," written by fellow North Carolinian Paul Hunneman from Orchestra 8. Bass and percussion built the structure of "Heya Heya" as the rest of the band fell in behind them. Originally written as a tribute to legendary jazz bassist Charles Mingus, it morphed along the way into an Egyptian swing whose title means "the same as." Jaafar grabs their jazzy roots for this number, jumping and pumping until stopping on a dime and suddenly remembering they're a world-music-fusion band instead. The ending section changes yet again, evolving into a Turkish song called "Laaz in 7."

The beautiful bass opening to "Divine Duality" cascaded over the crowd as the keyboards floated in a succulent enmeshing of notes. The band then eased into an electrified return to the show-opening "Hakim." A re-worked version of "Meeting of the Spirits" by John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra came next, complete with Guhl's electric guitar eruptions. It takes no small amount of courage to cover Mahavishnu. It's kind of like covering Frank Zappa – it's not really for the faint of heart or easily discouraged. Mahavishnu's relentless rhythms and unreal guitar extrapolations were well represented as Jaafar screamed and kicked their way through the changes.

The energy lightened as the band glided into the gorgeous melody and delicious tones of the plaintive "For You: Sunday Night," a song Troy also played at the funeral service for his wife Susan in August. Jaafar has always sought a spiritual path, and by bringing this music into his darkest hour, an attempt was made to reconcile human tragedy with a spiritual message. If music truly holds a healing power, a worldly wisdom, an inspirational light, then perhaps it shines brightest in the darkest times. The set closed with "39 Lashes" from the play Jesus Christ Superstar, with Blaise Kielor, owner of Carrboro's Music Explorium, joining the band on violin. Even in a play known for great songs this is a standout piece, sounding in this instrumental context like a centuries-old Arabic number. The percussionists tumbled across their instruments as Troy held down the sticky subtones. The band returned for the encore and slid into "Lotus Feet," also by the Mahavishnu Orchestra. This song, however, represents the other side of McLaughlin's fertile mind. Rather than gargantuan guitar escapades, we find the band in a pastoral mood, coaxing the notes from their instruments with subtle finesse.

The packed crowd applauded heartily as the show wrapped to a close. Jaafar had once again spanned the entire planet in search of their own brand of spiritual expression, sharing all their joyous results along the way. Sound samples and tour dates are available at www.jaafarmusic.com. Come see what the rest of the world sounds like.

Paul Kerr
JamBase | North Carolina
Go See Live Music!

[Published on 1/13/2004

"hi there, i found a link to your site through your show review on jambase, and i really like your music. it is free and from the soul. more importantly, i like your religious-themed ideas, and your respect for the middle eastern cultures and how you incorporate these ideas into your music. like you, i am beginning to take on a spiritual journey and i am finding great strength from various religions of the world i too feel a deep connection to the spiritual realm, and it seems that your egyptian upbringing has given you many insights that i too seek to know more about".

"Listened to the CD. LOVED it" - "Bob the Blade"-dj WRDU106.1fm.

"We so deeply enjoyed listening to you guys perform last night at Bakus, and if you happened to record it we'd really love to have a copy. Your CD has already gotten a good deal of play, and we look forward to seeing you again at Bakus sometime soon".

"From reading the writings on the Jaafar web site, I feel as though we share many of the same ideas regarding spirtual enlightenment, As I said, I feel we are both on a similar journey, and I love knowing that other people are finding strength in the same things I am. Your music helps me connect and center myself along my spiritual path. . Thank you. "

JAFAAR

"Welcome to the world of Middle Eastern - Jazz Fusion. This ambitious group hails from Chapel Hill, North Carolina and they are deternined to take the music and the listeners to unforeseen places. Troy Cole who is a commanding bass player, has performed with popular funk - jazz band P.L.D has opened up for acts such as Charlie Hunter and Derek Trucks. Mike Lyons, a Berklee alumni performs on the flugehorn , Pat Madison on acoustic guitar and another Berklee grad, Brad Newal on guitar and violin makes thing all the more interesting. These young musicians are determined to take you to a magical mystery tour. They deserve a listen from everyone". -taken from Abstractlogix.com

"I have never heard the darbuka and the djembe synergized so well". -Music Explorium

"OTHER GREAT NEW RELEASES august 2003
ED LITTMAN - SPLAT, MY WINDOW ( FEATURES MARK EGAN, DAN GOTTLEIB)
JEFF SIPE - LIVE AT THE BRANDY HOUSE
DO YOU HAVE THE TIME _ LUKE STONE
GONGZILLA - EAST VILLAGE SESSIONS
BRETT GARSED - BIG SKY
HELLBORG LANE AND SIPE - TEMPORAL ANALOGUES OF PARADISE ( RERELEASE)
BRAND X - TRILOGY
AL GARCIA - MAKE IT SO
JACK BRUCE - HARMONY ROW
JAAFAR - JAAFAR
CHRISTIAN McBRIDE - VERTICAL VISION
PAT METHENY - ONE QUIET NIGHT
JAN HAMMER - THE FIRST SEVEN DAYS
GOOD PEOPLE IN TIMES OF EVIL - JONAS HELLBORG, SHAWN LANE, V SELVAGANESH" abstractlogix.com