Flushing Town Hall in New York City will host a cross-cultural world music program on Friday, November 21. The event brings together Moroccan–Spanish flamenco group Seffarine with Colombian gaita ensemble La Cumbiamba eNeYé.
The evening opens at 7 PM with two participatory dance workshops designed to introduce audiences to the rhythms and movement styles featured in the concert. Music begins at 8 PM, when each band performs its own set before joining forces for a final “Mashup” collaboration.
Schedule
- 7 PM: Two dance workshops
- 8 PM: Seffarine and La Cumbiamba eNeYé in separate sets, followed by a joint Mashup set
Billed as Global Mashup: Seffarine (Moroccan Crossroad Ensemble) Meets La Cumbiamba eNeYé (Colombia), the program highlights traditions rooted in North Africa, southern Spain, and Colombia’s Caribbean coast.
Seffarine centers on vocalist Lamiae Naki, who draws from Moroccan musical traditions, and guitarist Nat Hulskamp, known for his work in flamenco. Their performances explore historical links between southern Spain and Morocco through intricate rhythms, flamenco guitar, oud, and percussive dance. The ensemble has toured in Indonesia and Europe and recorded with flamenco artists including Diego del Morao and Latin Grammy Award winner Antonio Rey.
La Cumbiamba eNeYé offers its interpretation of Colombian gaita music, rooted in Indigenous, African, and Spanish influences. The New York–based group features cactus-wood flutes and hand-played drums that echo community celebrations on Colombia’s Caribbean coast. The ensemble has appeared at Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Central Park SummerStage, Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, Symphony Space, and Riverside Church.
Executive and Artistic Director Ellen Kodadek notes that the Global Mashup series is designed to showcase both the differences and shared threads among cultures, artists, and audiences.
Formed in 2000, La Cumbiamba eNeYé focuses on both traditional and contemporary repertoire for gaitas y tambores (flutes and drums), evoking the ruedas (dance circles) central to gaita and bullerengue. The group emphasizes Indigenous gaita flutes, known by their native name, chuana. The band is led by New York City–based Colombian composer, folklorist, and educator Martín Vejarano, who develops original compositions for this format under Chiamusic.
Seffarine’s core duo of Naki and Hulskamp often appears with guest musicians from varied backgrounds, combining flamenco footwork, basslines, and a mix of instruments informed by North African and Iberian traditions.
General admission is $25 for adults, $20 for members, and $5 for children 12 and under.
More information and tickets are available at the Flushing Town Hall website: www.flushingtownhall.org
Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central