Previous events

George Lernis is a world recognized drummer, world percussionist, composer and educator originally from Nicosia, Cyprus and now making his home in the U.S.. George’s latest project, Between Two Worlds, is part of an initiative and recording he has released, that was inspired by the ongoing stereotyping of immigrants based on their origins, religions, and skin color. Being an immigrant himself, this is a social issue he is deeply passionate about.

During this event, George will give a short spoken introduction about the project and will then perform music from his latest album with a stellar group of musicians including the wonderful Turkish vocalist, Burcu Gülec, Swedish born bassist Bruno Råberg, American trumpeter Emiel De Jaegher, and a very special surprise guest

Danilo Perez and the Global Messengers

Danilo Perez's Global Messengers Live at the Manchester Craftsmen Guild Pittsburgh, PA

Honored to be playing with the greats: Danilo Perez and John Patitucci at the Symphony Center (Chicago) for a double performance featuring sets with Children of the Light and the Global Messengers. More info and tickets available here: bit.ly/DaniloCSO

The Anatoliama Ensemble, in collaboration with Holy Cross St. Romanos the Melodist Byzantine Choir, presents a concert featuring the musical traditions of Asia Minor. The concert is dedicated to the memory of the victims and refugees of the 1922 destruction of Smyrna and the subsequent population exchange. Performing with the Anatoliama Ensemble are special guests: Aimilia Chalkia from Greece and world-renowned Palestinian cellist Naseem Alatrash. This concert is sponsored by the Boston Byzantine Music Festival, a program of the Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture.

World recognized drummer, percussionist and composer George Lernis will celebrate the release of his new album “Between Two Worlds” with a concert and brief reflections on June 18th, 2022 at the beautiful St Paul’s church in Malden MA. His new album was inspired by a desire to offer an alternative to the ongoing stereotyping of immigrants based on their origins, religions and skin color. Being an immigrant himself, this is a social issue that he deeply cares about.

Joining George for his new album concert release: GRAMMY®-nominated Turkish pianist Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol; vocalist Burcu Güleç; trumpeter Emiel de Jaegher; and Professor Bruno Råberg on upright and electric bass.

Grammy-nominated composer Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol presents “An Elegant Ritual.” Structured after the Turkish (whirling dervish) Sufi rituals and John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme,” Sanlıkol's innovative jazz trio music is steeped in Middle Eastern cadences that draw from Turkish musical elements but also reaches as far as Indonesia to incorporate gongs heavily influenced by Javanese Gamelan.

Boiler House Jazz Concert ONLINE: Anastassiya Petrova (keyboards) & George Lernis (percussion) Streaming LIVE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xVrSDeW2vTM This concert will feature an artist interview conducted by Kevin Lowenthal Donate with PayPal bit.ly/palAPGL SUGGESTED DONATION: $15 All donations are shared equally by the ARTISTS and the MUSEUM The Boiler House Jazz Series is made possible by your voluntary financial support. Please give what you can. Any amount will be appreciated. Anastassiya Petrova https://www.facebook.com/AnastassiyaPetrovaMusic/ Anastassiya Petrova is a jazz pianist/organist from Kazakhstan and a participant in many international festivals (Italy, Bulgaria, Russia, and United States). Her influences include contemporary jazz pianists Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, and Brad Mehldau, and jazz organists such as Larry Goldings, Jack McDuff, and Joey DeFrancesco. Since graduating from Berklee School of Music, Anastassiya is now working as a graduate assistant with the Berklee Global Jazz Institute. Anastassiya has had the opportunity to perform with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Luciana Souza, George Garzone, Terri Lyne Carrington, Danilo Pérez, and Dave Liebman, to name just a few. In addition to fronting her own trio, Anastassiya has also fronted her own organ quartet. More recently, she has performed in ensembles with Allan Chase and Noah Preminger. She also performed two very moving tributes on-line early this year to Chick Corea, someone who greatly influenced her decision to study and become a jazz musician. George Lernis https://georgelernismusic.com/home George Lernis is a world class percussionist, drummer, and educator based in the Boston area who has played with countess musicians in the global music realm as well as in jazz circes. Born and raised in Nicosia, Cyprus, George has performed and collaborated with prominent figures such as Antonio Sanchez, Dave Liebman, Anat Cohen, Tiger Okoshi, A Far Cry, Mehmet Sanikol's Whatsnext?, and the Pharos Ensemble to name a few. He just returned from Athens, Greece where he recorded with an exciting new project called the Anatoliama Ensemble. George is considered to be bi-musical, having studied equally the traditions of the Middle East and Jazz music. In addition to the drum set, he specializes in a number of percussion instruments such as the darbuka, bendir, and riq. Kevin Lowenthal is a Boston-based freelance writer, musician, and wine consultant. As a Boston Globe correspondent for 17 years, he has written about jazz, world, and classical music. He has also written about music, film, and comics for other publications The Boiler House Jazz Series is underwritten in part by KeyedUp.org, a project of JazzGeneration Sponsored by Fairbank & Perry Goldsmiths See Less

Grammy-nominated composer Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol presents ground-breaking jazz orchestra and trio music steeped in Middle Eastern cadences that draw from Turkish, mystical Sufi rituals, Sephardic Jewish musical elements, and more. In this double album release event, first Sanlıkol and his trio will perform “An Elegant Ritual” followed by “The Rise Up,” an extended epic composition for jazz orchestra commissioned by NEA Jazz Master saxophonist Dave Liebman. While “An Elegant Ritual” is structured after the Turkish (whirling dervish) Sufi rituals and John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme,” “The Rise Up” features jazz icon Dave Liebman along with traditional Turkish instruments and Greek Orthodox cantors. The 25-piece orchestra will be conducted by Ken Schaphorst, chair of the Jazz department at New England Conservatory.

A seminar that will take its audience on a journey through the sounds and rhythms of the percussion instruments used in the Middle East and the Mediterranean regions. During this workshop George Lernis will go over the origin, styles and techniques of those instruments by demonstrating and performing: Darbuka (Doumbek), Riq (Arabic tambourine), Bendir (frame drum), Daire (frame drum with cymbals), Kashiks (wooden spoons), Zills (finger cymbals) and more.

This workshop runs for two hours.

Please note: The Passim School of Music is located at 26 Church St. Cambridge, MA. Classrooms are located on the third floor and, unfortunately, we do not have an elevator.

Muscari, a band of five world-class musicians united by a passion for the authentic music of the Mediterranean, borrow from the Café Aman era in song and spirit as they blend music from Turkey, Armenia, Greece, Cyprus, and other Mediterranean influences. Burcu Güleç (vocals), Melissa Lund (oud), George Lernis (percussion), Mal Barsamian (clarinet), and Panos Aivas (Kanoun) perform the complex rhythms and haunting melodies of regional music on traditional instruments. They love to unite different communities through music. You will find yourself dancing, clapping and singing along.

Adults 15.00 / Seniors and Students free

From at least the 16th century up to the present, Hebrew devotional poetry (piyyutim) set to Ottoman/Turkish makam music for use in the synagogue has shown the close relationship Jews established with members of Sufi Muslim mystical communities in Ottoman regions. This program will highlight interfaith musical and cultural dialogue, showing how religious communities can—in our days, too—communicate and enrich each other.

The acclaimed DÜNYA Ensemble of Boston will perform an exciting program highlighting interfaith musical and cultural dialogue between Jews and Sufi Muslims during the Ottoman Era in what is now modern Turkey. Featured guests include Joseph Alpar, visiting music faculty at Bennington College, Dr. Edwin Seroussi, professor of musicology at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and a mixed chorus of singers from the Bennington College and Williams College communities together with the choir of Israel Congregation of Manchester. A part of the Carriage Barn Concert Series, this event is free and open to the public.

Jews and Sufis: Shared Music Traditions Sunday, September 15 at 3pm Deane Carriage Barn at Bennington College One College Drive, Bennington, VT 05201 www.bennington.edu

DÜNYA (www.dunyainc.org) is a Boston-based musicians' collective and record label led by Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol. Its goal is to explore a cosmopolitan view of the world through the lens of a wide range of Turkish traditions, alone and in conversation with the musics of the formerly Ottoman peoples—Greeks, Jews, Armenians, Arabs, Kurds, mystics—as well as with western and other world traditions.

Edwin Seroussi is the Emanuel Alexandre Professor of Musicology and the director of the Jewish Music Research Center at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He researches North African and Eastern Mediterranean Jewish music, Judeo-Islamic relations in music, and Israeli popular music. A pioneer in the study of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern musical cultures and traditions, Seroussi was just awarded the 2018 Israel Prize in the music category. He has also won the Joel Engel Prize for Life Achievement in Jewish Music Research, Tel Aviv Municipality.

Since at least the 16th century, the Turkish maftirim repertoire – Hebrew devotional poetry set to Turkish makam music for use in the synagogue – demonstrates the deep relationships Ottoman Jews established with members of Muslim mystical brotherhoods. Leading scholar, Prof. Edwin Seroussi will briefly introduce the cultural, historical, religious and musical aspects of the topic, and the following concert program will demonstrate examples of relevant musical repertoire.

Rıdvan Aydınlı, ney, voice; Robert Labaree, çeng, voice; George Lernis, percussion; Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol, ud, ney, voice and guests Edwin Seroussi, voice and Joseph Alpar, santur, voice

Event Link: http://lowellfolkfestival.org/listen/2019-artists/?fbclid=IwAR2BnzdmozpwWPZIPwACXmfGrSe8vygbhvNrslM7MCOKWNkarUYhCEMm30A