Stewed MulliganRafael Cuen Garibi

The annual World Music and Dance Concert, to be held at the West Virginia University Creative Arts Center, Thursday, April 15, will feature the Appalachian string bandStewed Mulligan,along with flamenco guitarist Rafael Cuen Garibi of the University of Guanajuato, Mexico.

Directed by music professors Paschal Younge and Paul Scea, the concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre. It also will feature the WVU Steel Band, WVU African Ensemble, WVU Taiko Ensemble and the WVU Latin Jazz Ensemble.

The first part of the program will feature the WVU Taiko Ensemble performingHogaraka ni Suru,for Japanese drums written by graduate student Gordon Nunn, who also directs the ensemble.

Taiko drums have been used in Japan for more than 1,400 years, but the tradition of Japanese drum ensembles (Kumidaiko) has been existence for only about 50 years,Nunn said.For this reason, many Taiko compositions draw upon both traditional and modern influences for musical material.

�€~Hogaraka ni Suru,’which in English means �€~to make happy or cheerful,’features the Japanese song �€~Seijaku,’performed on the fue, or bamboo flute, by Jamie Groves.

Guest Artist Rafael Cuen Garibi will be next on the program, performingPor los Olivares (Fandango de Huelva)andZambra Mora,both by A. Castelln, andPanaderos Flamencosby E. Delgado.

Prior to intermission, the WVU African Ensemble, directed by Paschal Yao Younge, will perform music and dance from Ghana and Guinea. The selections includeAtsiagbekor,one of the oldest traditional dances of the Ewe-speaking people of southern Ghana and Togo. Originally a war dance performed after battle, it is now performed on many social occasions.Sabaris a primary form of drumming of the Wolof of Senegal that was traditionally used in religious ceremonies, but that is now used for many kinds of dancing and drumming events. And finally,Bamaaya,which meansthe river valley is wet,is the most popular social music and dance of the Dagbamba people of northern Ghana. It began as a religious musical performance, but now functions during funerals, festivals, national day celebrations and other social occasions. Younge is associate professor of music and director of the World Music Center at WVU .

Following intermission will be Appalachian folk music byStewed Mulligan,featuring band members Pat McIntire, harmonica; Stumper the Thumper, bass; Vince Farsetta, banjo; Keith Ross, mandolin; Keith McManus, fiddle; David Polechko, guitar; and Forrest Schwartz, fiddle sticks. Dancers include Ellen Ross and Lydia Ross.

The band will perform a medley of four styles in Appalachian string band tradition, including excerpts from their new CD,Repeat Offenders.In addition to traditional Appalachian folk music, songs will includeRaise a Rough HouseandCandy Girl.

The WVU Latin Jazz Ensemble, directed by Paul Scea, will follow withSwing La Modernaby Ray Barretto andDile a Catalinaby Arsenio Rodriguez. Scea is associate professor of music and director of the jazz studies program in the WVU Division of Music.

The WVU Steel Band, directed by percussion graduate student Shawn Roberts, will end the program with music of Trinidad and Tobago, includingJoe’s Melody Boysby Tom Miller andPan Risingby LenBoogsieSharpe.

In addition to his performance at the World Music Concert, Garibi will also perform a guest guitar recital Tuesday, April 13, at 8:15 p.m. in the Bloch Learning and Performance Hall at the CAC . He will also give a Flamenco Workshop at the CAC on Wednesday, April 14, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in Room 213A. Both guest performances are free and open to the public.

Garibi is currently professor of music and coordinator of the guitar program at the University of Guanajuato School of Music, where he also oversees the electronic music laboratory. He was born in Mexico and started studying Flamenco guitar at age seven. He later joined the flamenco group,The Romanceros,in Guanajuato and studied with classical guitarists Urban Gomez and Pepe Muoz of Spain, Pedro Sergio Salcedo and Ricardo Carrillo of Mexico, and Leo Brouwer of Cuba.

He received a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Guanajuato and has performed many concerts and recitals throughout Mexico. He has performed as a soloist with the Symphony Orchestra of the Univeristy of Guanajuato and with the Chamber Orchestra. Currently he is a member of the Guitar Quartet and the Early Music Ensemble, where he plays lute, guitar and percussion instruments. He has also performed concerts and master classes at the University of Texas, Southern Oregon University and the University of Santiago, Chile, and has composed and arranged music of many different styles.

For the past two decades,Stewed Mulliganhas been warming the hearts and feet of dancers and music lovers alike from coast to coast and across the ocean. They’ve performed at such venues as the Philadelphia Folk Festival, California Traditional Music Festival, Mountain Stage, and International Folk Festivals in the United States and Europe. Learning Appalachian music from the old timers themselves, the Stews have taken their special blend offront porch musicto the next level and beyond as they become the new old timers on the block.

Tickets for the World Music Concert are available at the Mountainlair and CAC Box Offices by calling (304) 293-SHOW. For more information about the program, contact the College of Creative Arts at (304) 293-4841 ext. 3108. For more about College of Creative Arts events, check the online calendar athttp://www.wvu.edu/~ccarts.