DATE: Friday, November 21
TIME: 7:00 PM Dance Lessons, 8:00 PM Concert
General Admission: $25 Adults / $20 Members / $5 Children (Guests 12 and Under)

Starting with two dance workshops, each band plays a set, then the two meet and jam for the third and final "Mashup" set!

The sounds that stir the dry winds of Southern Spain and Morocco, two countries separated by only a whisper of the Mediterranean, are the musical DNA of a beautifully complex extended family linking North Africa and Europe.

The musicians of Seffarine, soulful Moroccan singer Lamiae Naki and flamenco guitarist Nat Hulskamp, supported by master musicians of diverse cultures, embrace and extend this rich legacy. Their exciting performances masterfully combine explosive flamenco footwork, exotic instrumentation and grooving basslines. These diverse backgrounds meld, creating what SoundRoots describes as "an ear-caressing blend of sounds from Spain and North Africa, spiced with a bit of fiery instrumentation and percussion."

Singer-songwriter, guitarist, percussionist, and political activist, Aurelio Martinez is one of Central America’s most gifted performers. Born in Honduras into a family of talented musicians, the artist is today known as the Cultural Ambassador of the Garifuna nation. The Garifuna are people of Amerindian and West African descent who live along the coasts of Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Honduras. While deeply rooted in the mix of African, Caribbean, and Latin sounds that make up the traditional repertoire of Garifuna music, Aurelio is carrying this rich culture into the future.

About The Artists

Lamiae Naki - Vocals

Lamiae was born in Fes, Morocco’s historic cultural capital and home to the world’s oldest university. Immersed in the city’s rich traditions of Andalusian, Sufi, classical Arabic, and contemporary music, she began singing and writing from a young age. Trained in Andalusian and classical Arabic music, she blends these traditions with diverse global styles. She has performed internationally with artists such as flamenco dancer Laura Onizuka, Algerian musician Moh Alileche, and Seattle’s Mangus Khan, and has appeared on recordings including Hora de Soñar by Pink Martini’s Martín Zarzar and the film No Plorar Mai. In 2012, she received a grant to study classical Turkish singing in Istanbul with Aylin Sengun Tasci. She now resides in Portland, USA.

Nat Hulskamp - Flamenco Guitar & Oud

Nat was born in Portland, OR. He began studying guitar with guitarist/composer Paul Chasman at age seventeen. He was soon introduced to flamenco guitar by Jose Solano. His interest in the influence of Arabic music on flamenco led him to study oud in Morocco. After returning to the US, he moved to Seattle to study ethnomusicology at the University of Washington. There he worked with the groups Carmona Flamenco, The Rez Quartet and others ranging in style from Hungarian Csardas and Gypsy swing to flamenco. In 2000 he co-founded the Vancouver, BC based Arabic/ flamenco group Aire with ney player and singer Emad Armoush. In 2004 he moved to Portland and formed the group Shabava with kamancheh/sehtar/violinist and singer Bobak Salehi. In 2010 he formed the trio Caminhos Cruzados with master jazz guitarist Dan Balmer and Ghanaian percussion virtuoso Israel Annoh. Nat has studied with the top flamenco guitarists of today including, Diego del Morao, Manuel Parrilla, Pepe del Morao, José Antonio Rodriguez, Jesús Guerrero, Dani de Morón and Antonio Rey. He has recorded in Spain with Diego del Morao, La Macanita, Luís de Perikín, LaBejazz and has performed with José Antonio Rodríguez, Santiago Lara and Antonio Rey during their US tours. He now resides in Portland, composing and performing with Shabava, Caminhos Cruzados and Seffarine. Nat uses K&K Sound pickups and SeruniAudio microphones. See more about Nat's work at nathulskamp.com.

Manuel Gutierrez - Flamenco Dance & Cajon
 

Manuel Gutierrez Cabello was born in Montpellier, France to parents from Córdoba, Spain. A prodigy from a young age, he won his first flamenco award at eight and trained with masters including Lita Peiro, José Galván, Joaquin Grilo, and Javier Latorre. By twenty, he was performing across Europe with Duquende, Chicuelo, Juan Carmona, and Chispa Negra, while also collaborating with French choreographers Redha, Marjorie Ascione, and Gerome Zerbie.

In 2008, he choreographed Flamenco Flamen’ka, which sold out London’s Lyric Theatre and ran for five years in the UK and France. Praised as “Fiery” by The Telegraph and nicknamed “The Young Flamenco Prince” by Danse Magazine, Manuel quickly established himself as a leading choreographer and performer. He went on to teach at L’Opéra de Paris and choreographed works such as Romancero Gitano and El Emigrante.

Since 2011, Manuel has served as Artistic Director for the Global Gift Foundation, producing international galas alongside Eva Longoria to benefit numerous charities. He has also continued performing worldwide with artists such as Louis Winsberg, Souad Massi, and Caminos Flamencos. His 2012 work Juncal Street with Fanny Ara earned an Isadora Duncan Award nomination. Now based in Los Angeles, Manuel has created his first U.S. production, KOMPAZ, performed with LA Opera, and continues to expand flamenco’s boundaries through cross-genre collaborations.

Marwan Allam - Bass

Marwan Allam is a New York City-based bassist, composer, and bandleader originally from Tunisia. He studied jazz at the Prins Claus Conservatory in the Netherlands and has earned multiple awards for his musical contributions. Allam has performed at prestigious venues and festivals globally, including Umbria Jazz in Italy, Swinging Groningen in the Netherlands, Cairo Jazz in Egypt, the Hammamet and Tabarka Jazz Festivals in Tunisia, and the Mediterranean Jazz Festival in NYC. He has worked with renowned artists such as pianists Marc Cary and Tarek Yammani, guitarist Freddie Bryant, vocalist Liz Rosa, and saxophonists Jay Rattman and Yacine Boulares. In NYC, he has played at clubs like Smoke, Mezzrow, and Smalls. Additionally, Allam has recorded and toured with various musicians, including flutist Dominique Gagne and flamenco guitarist Andreas Arnold. He joined pianist Albert Marques' flamenco-jazz trio in the summer of 2021, collaborating with drummer Ari Hoenig, and has also worked with trumpeter Shareef Clayton and oud player Amir El Saffar, along with Brain Prunka.