Long Island City, New York, USa - Gino Sitson, a New York-based Cameroonian
vocalist, who produces a unique sound that melds the music of both cultures,
will be performing at the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center on April 14.
Mr. Sitson is one of five contemporary international artists featured in the
center’s “Performance Planet,” a multicultural concert series that
celebrates the borough’s rich cultural diversity. The five-concert series runs
through June.
The concert will be held in the college’s Little Theatre at 47th Avenue and Van
Dam Street in Long Island City. The event begins at 7:30 p.m.
General ticket prices are $12; $7 for students and seniors. To purchase tickets,
please call the box office at (718) 482-5151. For information on the other
cultural events visit
www.lagcc.cuny.edu/lpac.
The featured artist’s music interweaves traditional African rhythms and
melodies with jazz, gospel, and blues making him the only known vocalist who
incorporates African polyphonic techniques into a jazz vocal tradition. And he
does it with an extraordinary voice that has a four-octave range.
While singing in his native Bamileke language, Mr. Sitson enhances the musical
experience with body percussion and graceful hand movements.
With his own jazz-oriented group, he has toured widely throughout Europe and the
U.S., appearing at such prominent venues as Carnegie Hall, Aaron Davis Hall,
Carnegie Hall, and the Knitting Factory. In 2002, his first album, Song Zin, was
named one of the top 10 jazz CDs by the Los Angeles Times.
The other scheduled concerts are:
• Raices Habaneras – May 7—A Cuban dance troupe based in La Esquina Habanera
(Havana Corner) in Union City, New Jersey that performs rumba music in its
purest form.
• Kevin So – June 14 - a Chinese singer/songwriter whose powerful music is a
blend of pop, rhythm, blues, and hip hop.
World Music Central
http://worldmusiccentral.org/article.php/2005032514465094