Lala Tamar is what happens when Moroccan soul and Brazilian beats meet on the dance floor. A singer, dancer, and gimbri player, LALA (“lady” in darija) brings North African music a fresh, feminine alchemy—ancient songs infused with the spell of gnawa trance, her grandmother’s music resurrected from the Atlas Mountains.
Internationally acclaimed, she is known on the streets of Marrakech, her videos have millions of views, and her jubilant sound has carried her to festivals and stages on six continents. Wherever she goes, hearts and feet leave happy.
Master kora player Yacouba Sissoko devotes his gift to spreading the word of peace and expanding awareness of West African history and culture. His performances transform traditional songs and stories inherited from his forefathers into messages of love, harmony, and empowerment. The kora itself—an enchanting 21-stringed instrument central to West African culture—has long been played by djelys, or storytellers, who performed for kings, nobility, and village chiefs. Through song, they preserved the oral histories of their people, recording the rhythms of social life, cultural identity, and family lineage. In Yacouba’s hands, the kora continues this lineage, transporting audiences with its resonant sound.
Lala and Yacouba are joined by Zachi Asher on Oud and guitar, and Rich Stein on percussion. This collaboration explores the place of song keepers as channels of their respective community, the power of music and musicians, to open ethereal places abundant in beauty, poetry, healing and dance. In the spaces of sacred music, there are no boundaries to transgress, everywhere is home.
Many of you were present last December when Lala and her ensemble joined us in Woodstock for a transportive Friday evening service. She is back in the United States, touring and promoting a new album, and we are honored to partner again to bring this music to our Woodstock community.
Concert co-sponsored by Kehillat Lev Shalem, the Woodstock Jewish Congregation, and Temenos Center for the Arts.