al-andaus performing in the National Building museum, washington dcthe al-andalus ensemble onstage at the national building museum, washington dc

"Intriguing graceful music, sterling improvisations, world class virtuosos. Bob McCullough, Willamette Week.

"Hands down the best concert this reviewer has heard! These musicians brought something rare and wonderful,
a new world of sound to listeners!"   Dick Roberts, The Bridge

windows in the alhambra palace, granada, spain

The Al-Andalus Ensemble has a number of different formations which vary from two to seven artists.

  TARIK BANZI  (Composer, Multi-instrumentalist & Visual Artist)  “a superbly gifted player” (All Music Guide) Tarik traces his roots back to Al-Andalus, Spain (711-1492). He was born to one of the old Andalusian families in Tetouan, Morocco and grew up immersed in the Andalusian musical tradition.  Tarik has performed for such notables as Queen Sofia of Spain and Princess Haifa Al-Saud while his musicianship has complimented the albums of flamenco and Jazz masters such as Paco de Lucia, Manolo Sanlucar, Enrique Morente and Jorge Pardo where Tarik introduced such mainstays the darbuka (clay or metal drum) and Udu (clay pot drum). Tarik’s students Fain Duenas and Vicente Molina went on to form the Grammy nominated World music group Radio Tarifa.  Tarik’s diversity can be seen in the works of Classical, Jazz, Folk, New Age, Rock and World Music artists from Billy Oskay (Nightnoise), Guadalquivir, La Trinca, Tijeritas, Michael Shreive and Graham Leer (Carlos Santana), Dan Crary, Carolyn Cruso, Lief Sorby, Magical Strings, Paul Winter, John Doan, Oregon Repertory Singers and Enrique Valdivieso... Tarik has composed scores of soundtracks for cinema & film including Delirios de Amor (Felix Rotaeta, Antonio Banderas), Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, Henry IV, Othello, Bodas de Sangre (Garcia Lorca) and Salome’ (Nuria Espert). Tarik is a featured Arts Bridge Scholar and has guest lectured at many universities including the Virginia Military Institute, Denver University, Arizona State University, Washington State University, Portland University, Western Carolina University, Reed College, Lewis & Clark. Tarik & Julia composed music for American National Public Radio (NPR) “Legacies: Faith, Hope and Peace” which was subsequently awarded the “Heart of America Award” for best in radio and was recently filmed for an upcoming American Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) documentary on the three faiths “A Journey of Faith” (Auteur Productions). Tarik is an accomplished visual artist who completed his Doctoral studies Fine Arts (Ph.D.) at the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain and further studies at the University of California Santa Barbara. His artwork is included in collections throughout the world.

   JULIA BANZI (Ph.D) (flamenco guitar, viola, percussion) (flamenco guitar, viola, percussion) The world of guitar boasts few women who ignite the sound of the guitar, and in the macho flamenco culture, even fewer still. Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, Julia lived in Spain for over a decade where she specialized in flamenco and established herself as one of a very few female flamenco guitarists worldwide. In Andalucia’s Granada, Sanlucar de Barrameda and later at Madrid’s Amor de Dios studios, Julia worked accompanying notable dance instructors such as Ciro, La Tate & Manolete and studied with Spain’s finest guitarists including Manolo Sanlucar, Isidro Muñoz, David Serva, Felipe Maya and Rafael Morales. Her passion for flamenco led her to explore its roots, where she focused on Arabo-Andalusian, Ladino & Indian musics. After obtaining a B.A. degree in music from Lewis & Clark College, she went on to complete her Ph.D. Ethnomusicology at the University of California Santa Barbara where she simultaneously taught ‘American Music and Popular Culture’ and wrote a thesis ‘Women’s Andalusian Ensembles of Tetuan, Morocco” and dissertation “Flamenco Guitar Innovation and the Circumscription of Tradition.”  Musician and scholar, Julia authored chapters for the ‘Arab World Studies Notebook’ (AWAIR & The Middle East Policy Council w/ Audry Shabbas), ‘A solo Dance with my Soul’ and served as a consultant for ‘The Rise of Islam’ (Stanford University). Julia is an AIMS scholar, featured Arts Bridge Scholar, FLAS, TALMS, Eric Porshman Fellowship in Music & Art recipient, and was selected by The National Council on US Arab Relations for the ‘Passage to Morocco’ program. She has organized panels and given papers at academic conferences (SEM, SEMSCC, MACSEM) on topics ranging from ‘Academic Ethno Ensembles’ and ‘Women, Music & Identity’ to ‘Andalusian Music’ and ‘The Marketing of Roma in Popular Music.’ Julia is currently preparing a book on her interviews and photographs with the late master of Andalusian music Mohammed Temsamani. She teaches guitar at Reed College and Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon.

VIOLINISTS

Charlie Bisharat  CHARLIE BISHARAT (Violin)  While you might not recognize the name, you would instantly identify the violin artistry of Charlie Bisharat. His work has graced the albums of such pop phenoms as Alanis Morissette, The Rolling Stones, Jane's Addiction, and Aerosmith. His diversity can be heard on the works of Jazz and World Music artists Strunz & Farah, Don Grusin, and Oscar Castro-Neves. And his accomplishments have been featured in scores of soundtracks from Swordfish, Texas Rangers, Steal Big Steal Little to on-screen performances of Austin Powers Gold Member, The Drew Carey Show and Friends. A Grammy Award-winning performer, Mr. Bisharat has toured the world time and again with Jazz and New Age groups as varied as Shadowfax, Kitaro, Yanni and John Tesh. He has composed and produced tracks for record-setting album projects as well. His range of styles has led him from pop to jazz to classical, where he is often heard subbing with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. His wide array of skills is best exemplified on his own recording on Universal Music Group's Along The Amazon, an all-star album featuring some of jazz and pop's greatest artists. A published author as well, Charlie has written and recorded the jazz improvisational book and CD Beyond Classical Violin for Cherry Lane Music. Mr. Bisharat’s compositions have been featured in movies and television as well as a myriad of recording projects. His works for small ensembles range from the original opus Lying In Wait which appears on the album Subliminal Blues And Greens by the all-female quartet Cello, to string arrangements for rock guitarist Andy Summers of The Police. Charlie continues to travel the globe performing in concert and recording with some of the most accomplished musicians of our day. Live appearances this year alone have included Costa Rica, Spain, Abu Dhabi, Jordan, Switzerland & Brazil. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Mr. Bisharat is in demand as one of Southern California's busiest violinists. Television and feature film scores make up a generous portion of his recording schedule in town. In addition, he has appeared as a guest speaker at the Henry Mancini Institute and often lends a hand with the Yamaha Music Education programs both in the U.S. and abroad.
BILLY OSKAY (violin) is a native of Kingston New York .  He started playing violin at age seven and early on studied with violin virtuoso Eugen Prokop at the International Academy of Music Palma de Mallorca, Spain where he was awarded a professional diploma in violin and chamber music. He received his MA in music from Ball State University in Indiana. During the early seventies Billy headed the music department at Mt. Angel College in Oregon. He has played swing jazz with Oregon's Everythings Jake, violin/fiddle with the Irish group Nightnoise which he co-founded on the Windham Hill label.  To date he has engineered/produced over 150 cds on several international labels.

Razgui BoujemaaBOUJEMAA RAZGUI  (ney, vocals, kamanja, percussion) hails from Marrakech, Morocco, where he studied the ney with local masters. He made his first public appearance as flutist with the Marrakech Orchestra of Modern Music and went on to play in different groups accompanying national singers of Morocco. Rasgui first joined Tarik & Julia Banzi in Madrid in 1987 and has since gone on to perform in a wide variety of performance settings throughout Spain, Morocco, France, Canada and the United States.

VOICE

  RANJANI KRISHNAN (Voice) was born in Bombay, India.  Ethnically she hails from the southern Indian state of Tamilnadu and lived many years in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Her mother, an accomplished musician, has played the Veena for almost 40 years, and her father, a thespian and connoisseur of music, provided a her a strong foundation in Indian classical music. Ránjani learned Carnatic music from Gowri Natarajan, a disciple of the esteemed Lalgudi Jayaraman. She graduated from Reed College and University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign with degrees in Mathematics and from Lewis and Clark College with an honors degree in music composition. Ránjani is a versatile singer who has studied languages like ancient Greek, Hebrew, German, Spanish, and Arabic in addition to her native tongue of Tamil and the more familiar English and Hindi.

Virtudes Sanchez MorenoVIRTUDES SANCHEZ (vocals) from Conil de la Frontera, Spain, the cradle of flamenco.  She is part of a new wave of vocalists that is descending upon  Andalusian folk music, ready to defend and to enrich different schools of cante. Her voice her Andalusian heritage, flamenco, canto Lirico Espanol as well as her classical vocal training recieved later in life at conservatories in Conil, Sevilla and Madrid. Marrying tradition and this young cantora presents varied offerings with a capacity to look outward toward other terrains her musicality and sense of rhythm project a clear intention to maintain Andalucia’s vitality marrying tradition and progress with skill and know how.
ANDALUSIAN-FLAMENCO DANCERS
Laura DubrokaLAURA DUBROCA (Flamenco & Andalusian dance) Born in the Abu Dhabi of the United Arab Emirites to French ex-patriot parents, she later lived in Venvzuela, Qatar, Indonesia and France, Laura has received diverse cultural influences from each one of the vaired countries wehre she has lived.  She began  classical ballet studies at an early age and later discovered her love of flamenco  where she has studied with Manolo Marin, Milagros Menjibar, Carmen Ledesma and Rafael Campallo in the Fundación Cristina Heeren de Arte Flamenco in Sevilla.  She continued with Manuela Ríos, Adela Campallo, Juana Amaya, Pastora Galvan, Angeles Gabaldon.  She is a regular performer  in the  flamenco  peña “La Perla de Cadiz, Asociación Cultural Antigua Sevilla, Espacio Temporal, AguaFresca and in concert with international harpest Meko.
Maria Jose Franco  MARIA JOSE FRANCO  (Flamenco & Andalusian dance) Flamenco dancer Maria Jose Franco belongs to the contemporary young Andalucian elite.  Flamenco dancer from a very young age, Maria Jose began her formation under Angelita Gómez and Manolo Marín with later studies with Carmen Cortés, Matilde Coral, El Güito, Manolete, La Yerbabuena, Antonio Canales and Mario Maya.  Maria Jose Franco is premier dancer for Paco Peña (www.PacoPena.com).  She frequently performs alongside Antonio El Pipa.

MARGARITA BRUCE had her first exposure to Spanish dance through her mother, a pianist at a Spanish dance academy in Monterey, Mexico. As a child she studied Spanish dance with Luisa Galian in Mexico and later trained in classical ballet, she is an experienced professional in the world of Spanish dance, both in flamenco and in Spanish classical dance. She has performed with such prestigious dance companies and artists as Jose Greco, Gisela Noriegaís Ballet Espanol, Eduardo Montemayor Fantasia Espanola, La Chiquiís Compania de Arte Espanol, Jose Molina, Sara deLuis and Manolo Rivera. and has trained with dance masters such as Jose Molina, Sara de Luis, Nana Lorca, Jose Greco, La Cintia, Paco Romero, Ciro, Carmen Linares ìLa Chiquiî and Teo Morca.

In addition:
Martin Zarzar  MARTIN ZARZAR (percussion) was born in Lima, Peru, where, after traveling around the world for many years, he began to study drum-set, and hand percussion at age thirteen. His professional music career began at age fifteen in Portland, OR, where he met the group Al Andalus with whom, amongst others, he traveled, performed, and recorded. In 1996, he won a scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music (Boston, MA), from where he now holds a Magna Cum Laude Bachelor's Degree in Drum-Set Performance. Since his arrival in Boston he has traveled as a performer to Europe, Canada, South America, and within the U.S.A., performing alongside Simon Shahin, Jamey Haddad, and Pink Martini, amongst others. While living in Boston, he has been an active member of the music community, finding inspiration in the work of his colleagues and teachers alike. He currently resides in Portland where he continues to explore the mystery of music and life in general.

Gavin BondyGAVIN BONDY (trumpet, cornet) of the Shanghi Wooliles, currently performs also with internationally renowned Pink Martini. He loves many styles of music, some of his favorites being renaissance, Armenian folk music, early jazz, and heavy metal.  He formerly played with La Mayor Salsa Orchestra and the neo-funk/groove band Rubbernec.

   JOE HEINEMANN began Classical piano lessons at age seven and continued through to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music as a teenager with further studies in Europe. Joe has toured and recorded with a wide variety ofwell known artists such as Quincy Jones, Robben Ford, Robert Cray, Archie Shepp, Eddie Harris, Steve Miller, Ronnie Montrose, and many more. He toured, recorded with the Steve Miller's Blues Band, where Joe wooed crowds and press reporters as a featured soloist. His first CD recently won him top ten honors in Jazziz Magazine's Keyboards On Fire national contest. He is currently appearing with the Charlie Musselwhite Blues Band, and the Patty Austin Band is a much sought after piano instructor in San Francisco.
 
Email: music (at) andalus.com

arches of the mosque of cordoba, spain