Press

It has never been easy to reduce the differences arising from centuries of religious, political and cultural misunderstandings. Yet it is less today in a world torn in every direction by diffuse and glaring disagreements. New York Andalus together tries to throw “Musical” Bridges and reduce these ditches and discrepancies.
What’s better to succeed this company, at the final colossal and intimidating, than music. And not any one: Andalusian music, Andalusia having been, centuries during, a cradle of tolerance and a container where, often in peace and good understanding, Muslim, Jewish and Christian cults.
It is precisely to this admirable cohabitation of ancient times that the composition of the andalus together is now being obeyed, a group of a good fortnight of artists from their cultures, beliefs and disparate worlds, but welded by the pleasure of uniting and Unite.
The leader of the troupe, Samuel Torjman Thomas, a young American mother of Moroccan mother, does not hide a pride, measured, the progress and success of the group that has been able to transcend all differences and unite around its orbit almost Artists, in time, loving the ideals of living together.
The whole has brought together people of very different currents, not to say opposites. “but some rather deep and intimate relationships have been made between members of the group from environments that are knead from the other”, we entrust Mr. Thomas.
Five years ago, when he started to create this platform, the idea was simple: giving people an opportunity to try a different musical experience, in a neutral environment that has no specific scope for such a group Or such religion, like a university.
” that’s why I held the group in a university. It’s like a neutral ground “, he tells us in an interview at the hunter college lobby, one of the faculties of the city university of New York (Cuny), where the whole is hosted.
The aim was not only to group people at a social evening, but, above all, to “give them practical experience that can teach them something, and allow them to learn others, artists or spectators”.
” we are less in the logic of fun than in the quest for the community link. Once here, you are part of a full community “, he explains.
For This, the whole is not only the vast andalusian directory, which forms the basis of its choices, but will dig in the memory of chaabi, of, Flamenco, Latino, or still, a genre Which draws its sources into the Judeo-Spanish and sephardic culture.
This mixture has the merit of bringing people of horizons not always homogeneous. ” it’s nice. We have in the assistance of girls in hijab next to people in yarmulke and others visibly wearing their crosses in an image you can no longer expressive from the acceptance of the other “, rejoice.
“the public is looking for a show where he can appreciate Jewish and Muslim and Christian cultures and identities unite in a spontaneous way that deconstructed everything in the newspapers”, stresses mr. Thomas.
The Moroccan origins of this artist and university – he has a Phd in ethnomusicology – has predisposed him to succeed this project. Samuel Torjman Thomas had followed a jazz training first, but eventually came back to the barn and set course on andalusian music.
“I chose this type of music because of my Moroccan origins”, he supports. ” I believe that Morocco can be proud of a unique history, that of multiculturalism, and to be a crossroads of different religions and ethnic groups. And all this is related to Andalusia. There is no andalusia without Morocco “.
For the future, Samuel Torjman Thomas thinks big. He plans to bring his group into a tower in the world – starting with the middle east, and obviously north Africa.
In Morocco, he made tandem with a set of andalusian music, which he prefers to keep anonymity, to form a single team that will soon be on tour in the kingdom before bringing the whole team back for shows in the us.
The project, called qantara, will be the first association of New York Andalus together with a foreign troupe, and its first performance outside the city of New York.

-Aziz Rami, UN Correspondent, Maghreb Arab Press

Frédéric Autran les a rencontrés à New York avant un de leurs concerts.

Il s’appelle Samuel Tordjman Thomas , il jouait du saxophone mais a ^bientôt préfére le Oud. Son père est américain, sa mère, marocaine et lui joue de la musique arabo-judeo-andalouse dans un groupe qu’il a fondé à New York. Les musiciens et chanteurs parlent anglais, arabe ou hébreu tous s’accordent sur la même musique .

CLICK TO HERE LISTEN…

A Haunting, Ecstatic Evening with the New York Andalus Ensemble

by delarue

“New York Andalus ensemble” diffuse les rythmes marocains au coeur de la City

par Bouchra Benyoussef

New York, 15 févr. 2013 (MAP) – “Un battement aiguë, un aiguë, un silence, un battement”, Bendir à la main, Samuel Torjman Thomas explique patiemment le tempo au Choeur du “New York Andalus ensemble”, réuni à la city university de New York (CUNY) pour une reprise de la quassida marocaine “Ana mani fiyach”.

Chaque mercredi soir, l’ensemble “New York Andalus” se retrouve pour des répétitions en prévision du concert qui devrait réunir quelque 1000 personnes le 5 mai prochain à Brooklyn.

Read More…

Un intercambio intercultural con NY Andalus Ensemble

Musicoguia ha entrevistado a Samuel R. Torjman Thomas (Ph.D), Etnomusicólogo, Artista, Compositor y Director Artístico en ASEFA y NY Andalus Ensemble.

Musicoguia has interviewed Samuel R. Torjman Thomas (Ph.D), Ethnomusicologist, Performer, Composer and Artistic Director at ASEFA and NY Andalus Ensemble.

Read More…