FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tamar Fortgang
213-237-2873 (do not publish)
REDCATpr@calarts.edu

Alan Eder and Friends to perform Reggae Chanukah at REDCAT

December 17, 18
7:30 p.m.
$18 - general
$12 - students, children under 12

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December 1, Los Angeles -- Alan Eder and Friends bring their eclectic blend of West African, reggae and Jewish music to REDCAT on Wednesday and Thursday, December 17 & 18 at a special family friendly time of 7:30 PM. For the first time in three years, this global village of nearly two dozen singers, instrumentalists and African dancers will perform Reggae Chanukah, from their second highly acclaimed studio recording (visit www.ReggaeChanukah.com for reviews).

Reggae Chanukah brings together the musical and spiritual traditions of many cultures. It blends throbbing rhythms of African origin with the well-loved songs of the "stand up for your rights" holiday of Chanukah. Also prominent are elements from the Caribbean: one-drop reggae, the Rastafarian Nyabinghi heartbeat of thanks and praises to the Almighty, and Ska's upbeat skanks, as are influences from West Africa in the form of traditional Ghanaian dance-drumming and highlife. From Middle Eastern maksum played on doumbek and riqq (with clarinet) to batteries of Brazilian and Latin percussion as samba meets mambo.

Reggae Chanukah is the collaborative work of several artists, many well known in the international world music community. Their lands of origin, native tongues, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, religious affiliations and musical specialties span a wide spectrum, weaving the strength of diversity into the fabric of their drum-laden groove music and dance.

Eder and Friends have been featured in major media outlets from the L.A. Times and the Reggae Beat to National Public Radio's Morning Edition, and WGBH and BBC's The World. Soon to appear on the PBS special A Chanukah Celebration, they have electrified audiences at many of Los Angeles' cultural venues including the Skirball Cultural Center, LACMA, the Visions Theater, CalArts and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Alan Eder and Friends also regularly perform at Los Angeles area schools. They are proud to be one of the ensembles sent out to the community as part of the Community Arts Partnership (CAP) program at CalArts.

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