About this Event
Reem Kelani has often been described as an ‘unofficial ambassador’ for the art and poetry of Palestine. Her first love musically was the jazz her father listened to, but at the age of nine she discovered Palestinian music when she was taken to a family wedding in Galilee. She has spent much of her life researching the songs and singing styles of the Middle East.
With her rhythm section of Bruno Heinen (piano), Ryan Trebilcock (double bass) and Riccardo Chiaberta (drums and percussion), she has developed an extraordinary, seamless fusion of Arabic music and jazz. You can hear two of their most recent recordings here.
She is, Max Reinhardt said on Radio 3, ‘an astonishing vocalist’. Her voice ‘will make the hairs on your neck stand up’ (Jazz UK); it ‘is holy, strong and seductive, like a call to prayer’ (the Evening Standard).
In performance, her ‘indomitable spirit and emotionally charged introductions are an integral part of the experience’ (Songlines). In these grim times, this promises to be a memorable evening of music, poetry and – inevitably – deep feeling.
Reem Kelani was born in Manchester, the daughter of Yousef Zaid Kelani, a doctor from Yabad, near Jenin, and Yusra Sharif Zu’bi from Nazareth; and was brought up in Kuwait. She now lives in London.
Her highly acclaimed 2006 album, Sprinting Gazelle: Palestinian songs from the motherland and the diaspora, was the culmination of many years of research and preparation. It was followed in 2016 by the double live album Live at the Tabernacle.
The photograph above was taken by Ivan Gonzalez. The top image is a screengrab from a video of her performance at the Palestinian Museum in Birzeit last year.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
St Luke’s Church, Hatfield Road, Bath, United Kingdom
GBP 25.00
