by Evan Fraser
Evan Fraser (kalimba), Surya Prakasha (drum set), Eliyahu Sills (upright bass)


Buzz

Guardian of Divine Arts, Sciences and Knowledge.
www.seram.me

    "The world music group celebrates the Divine by using an arsenal of musical instruments from various parts of the world, developing exquisite pieces that blend world music with jazz rhythms and stylings."
    -World Music Central

    BOLO is a dynamic ensemble with Surya Prakasha (Lavay Smith) on drumset, vocals and harmonium, Eliyahu Sills (The Qadim Ensemble) on ney & bansuri flutes, oud, and upright bass, and Evan Fraser (Dirtwire) on West African kamale ngoni (harp), kalimba, and percussion.

    With a fresh improvisational approach, the group creates music that will move, uplift and transport. Featuring African sourced grooves with sacred folk songs, African and Indian melodies, BOLO speaks to the heart in a musical language that bridges continents and unites us all.

Instruments:
Bansuri: bamboo flute from India. From Sanskrit words ‘Bans’ = bamboo & ‘sur’ = musical note.
Nai (Ney in Turkish): Middle-Eastern flute made from the reed. Nai is a Farsi word, meaning ‘reed.’ It’s believed to be the oldest melodic instrument on earth.
Kalimba: African thumb piano, found throughout sub-saharan Africa.
Kamale Ngoni: African harp with 10 strings. A cousin of the Kora, from Mali and Burkina Faso.
Bass Kamale Ngoni: lower register African harp, with 10 strings.
Bendir: North African frame drum with gut snares and goat skin.
Drum set: invented by Ludwig & Co. with the introduction of foot pedals, made famous by jazz drummer Warren 'Baby' Dodds.
Harmonium: portable hand-pumped reed organ, brought to India by European missionaries.
Khol: two-sided clay drum from northeastern India, traditionally used in devotional music.  
Oud: Middle-Eastern, pear-shaped, fretless instrument with 11 strings.  It’s name comes from the Arabic word ‘oud’ that means ‘wood.’
Upright Bass: from the European Viol family. The bass became part of the rhythm section in Jazz and other music of the Americas by being played with fingers instead of a bow.
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Engineered & Mixed by John Schimpf
Photography by Ahri Golden
Graphic Design by Mirissa Neff
Mastering by eO
Recorded at 25th Street Recording, Oakland, CA

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We are very grateful to our families, teachers, friends, music lovers, dancers, and benefactors who made this album possible.  We give thanks to the Creator and to the Earth for providing everything we need: water, air, food, and the organic elements from which musical instruments are made. We honor and offer gratitude to the cultural curators of the world who cultivate traditional arts and pass them from generation to generation.  
