Abraham Inc. and Friends Set for Concert to Benefit the ACLU at Symphony Space

Table Pounding Music will present a benefit concert for The New York Civil Liberties Union/American Civil Liberties Union, produced by Grammy-nominated clarinetist David Krakauer, pianist-composer Kathleen Tagg and Table Pounding Music on Sunday, September 24th at 7pm.

Abraham Inc. is co-led by David Krakauer, Fred Wesley (of James Brown/Parliament Funkadelic fame) and Montreal based producer and beat architect Socalled. They will be joined by an all-star group of boundary-pushing musicians who share two common traits: a quest for pushing outside the box in their genres, and a desire to use their artistic voices to raise funds for the protection of civil liberties. One hundred percent of the artist fees will be donated to the ACLU.

This is the second ALCU benefit concert Table Pounding Music has produced. In April, the highly attended concert raised a significant amount of money and created a tremendous presence online. Selection of tracks will be available to download for purchase and these revenues will also benefit the ACLU.

CONCERT LINEUP: ABRAHAM INC. & FRIENDS:

ABRAHAM INC.

featuring

David Krakauer, clarinet

Fred Wesley, trombone & vocals

Socalled, keyboards, sampler, vox rap and vocals

with

Sheryl Bailey, guitar

Brandon Wright, saxophone

Eddie Allen, trumpet

Jerome Harris, bass

Michael Sarin, drums

Allen Watsky, guitar

Taron Benson, vox rap

Alicia Krakauer, vocals

With special guest trumpeter Frank London of The Klezmatics

MEMBERS OF THE SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE

Final Musician Lineup TBA

Marc Ribot: SONGS OF RESISTANCE

Marc Ribot, guitar

Opening Act:

TAGG-PETERSEN WHERE WORLDS COLLIDE

Kathleen Tagg & Andre Petersen, pianos

With special guest Frank London of The Klezmatics, and other surprise performers TBA.

ABOUT THE ACLU:

The ACLU is a nonpartisan, non-profit organization whose mission is to defend individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

ABRAHAM INC.

Abraham Inc. is an unprecedented collaboration between three cultural visionaries: DAVID KRAKAUER, champion of klezmer music and Grammy-nominated clarinetist; legendary funk trombonist and arranger FRED WESLEY, celebrated for his work with James Brown and George Clinton; and hip-hop renegade and beat architect SOCALLED. The band has performed at The Apollo Theater and Symphony Space in New York, The Krannert Center in Illinois, Hancher Auditorium in Iowa, The Miller Outdoor Theater in Houston, The Strathmore in Maryland, Cal Performances, The Heineken Open'r Festival in Poland, The Cracow Jewish Culture Festival, the Transmusicales de Rennes, and Jazz a la Villette in Paris. Abraham Inc. released the album Tweet Tweet in 2009 on Krakauer's own Table Pounding Records label. The album peaked at No. 1 in Funk and No. 1 in Jewish and Yiddish Music, and at No. 35 in music sales on Amazon. www.abrahamincmusic.com

MEMBERS OF THE SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE

Representing a global array of cultures, Silk Road Ensemble musicians co-create art, performance, and ideas. The Grammy Award-winning Silk Road Ensemble has been called "vibrant and virtuosic" by the Wall Street Journal, "one of the 21st century's great ensembles" by the Vancouver Sun, and a "roving musical laboratory without walls" by the Boston Globe.

Made up of performers and composers from more than 20 countries, the Silk Road Ensemble was formed by Yo-Yo Ma in 2000. Since then, audiences and critics in over 30 countries throughout Asia, Europe, and North America have embraced these artists passionate about cross-cultural understanding and innovation. Inspired by the exchange of ideas that occurred along the historical Silk Road, these global artists draw on the rich tapestry of traditions that make up our many-layered contemporary identities. By weaving together the foreign and the familiar, they create a new musical language.

The group has recorded six albums. Their new album, Sing Me Home, was released in April 2016. The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, a documentary about Silkroad musicians directed by Academy Award-winner Morgan Neville (20 Feet from Stardom), was released in June 2016. http://www.silkroadproject.org/ensemble

Marc Ribot

Marc Ribot, who The New York Times describes as "a deceptively articulate artist who uses inarticulateness as an expressive device," has released over 20 albums under his own name over a 30-year career, exploring everything from the pioneering jazz of Albert Ayler to the Cuban son of Arsenio Rodríguez. His latest solo release, Silent Movies (Pi Recording 2010) has been described as a "down-in-mouth-near master piece" by the Village Voice and has landed on several Best of 2010 lists including the LA Times and critical praise across the board. 2013 saw the release of "Your Turn" (Northern Spy), the sophomore effort from Ribot's post-rock/noise trio Ceramic Dog, and 2014 saw the monumental release: "Marc Ribot Trio Live at the Village Vanguard" (Pi Recordings), documenting Marc's first headline and the return of Henry Grimes at the historical venue in 2012 already included on Best of 2014 lists including Downbeat Magazine and NPR's 50 Favorites.

Rolling Stone points out that "Guitarist Marc Ribot helped Tom Waits refine a new, weird Americana on 1985's Rain Dogs, and since then he's become the go-to guitar guy for all kinds of roots-music adventurers: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Elvis Costello, John Mellencamp." Additional recording credits include Neko Case, Diana Krall, Elton John/Leon Russell's The Union, Solomon Burke, John Lurie's Lounge Lizards, Marianne Faithful, Joe Henry, Allen Toussaint, Medeski Martin & Wood, Caetono Veloso, Susana Baca, Allen Ginsburg, Madeline Peyroux, NOra Jones, Jolie Holland, Akiko Yano, The Black Keys, and many others. Marc works regularly with Grammy award winning producer T Bone Burnett and NY composer John Zorn. He has also composed and performed on numerous film scores such as "Walk The Line" (Mangold), "The Kids Are All Right," and "The Departed" (Scorsese).

"...he can sit down with just his guitar and simultaneously confound you with technique, beauty, and surprise." - John Garratt and Will Layman, PopMatters Picks: The Best Music of 2010 for the album "Silent Movies".

TAGG-PETERSEN SOUTH AFRICAN DUO

Called the "Sonic Essence of Africa" and praised for their "Technical virtuosity and perfectly synchronized rhythmical complexity" (CUE Magazine), the Tagg-Petersen Piano Duo brings together two of South Africa's most celebrated pianists, Kathleen Tagg and Andre Petersen - one eclectic classical and one jazz artist - in a unique collaboration. They draw on the rich sonic tapestries of classical music, South African jazz and indigenous musics from southern Africa. www.taggpetersenduo.com

IF YOU GO:

Sunday, September 24, 2017 at 7PM

At Peter Jay Sharp Theater, Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway, New York, NY, 10025

Tickets: $40; Day of Show $45; Members and Seniors $35; Group $25; Under 18 $15

To Buy Tickets: www.symphonyspace.org/event/9757/Music/aclu-nyclu-benefit-abraham-inc-and-friends?spektrix_bounce=true

Info: www.symphonyspace.org