Ya Layl plays Mostly Middle Eastern in Santa Cruz

Ya Layl presents “Mostly Middle Eastern,” a program of Arabic, Turkish, Armenian, and other music performed by Sarah Michael, Peter Maund, and Suellen Primost. Special guest Niko Bakulich joins the trio for an eclectic evening of lively dance numbers, modal improvisations, American standards, and medieval pilgrim songs.

Featuring:
Sarah Michael – kanun (Arabic zither)
Suellen Primost – cello
Peter Maund – percussion
Niko Bakulich – bass

Kanun player Sarah Michael has been studying and performing Middle Eastern music for the past 15 years. Beginning her career as a viola da gamba player, Sarah has studied with composer and accordion virtuoso Elias Lammam. She has performed with Aswat, Flowers of the Nile, the Mevlevi Mutrib, El Alzifoon, and her own quartet, Zamanna.

Peter Maund studied percussion at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and music, folklore, and ethnomusicology at the University of California, Berkeley. Described by the Glasgow Herald as “the most considerate and imaginative of percussionists,” he can be heard on over 50 recordings. Maund, a founding member of Ensemble Alcatraz and Alasdair Fraser’s Skyedance, has performed with a number of early and contemporary music ensembles.

Suellen Primost is a conservatory-trained cellist, composer, and recording artist. She was principal cellist with the Taos Chamber Orchestra and co-founded Sedona’s first “Jazz on the Rocks” festival before moving to California in 2002. She has served as music director for Artship Ensemble in San Francisco and continues to perform with musicians, poets, and artists spanning many different genres. Suellen currently performs with Spiral Dance Chamber Jazz, the Neshamah Duo, the Sarah Michael Qanun Ensemble, and the Espiritu Ensembles.