TONIGHT: Barakka @ Penn Museum

"All of us have of us have been playing all our lives. It wasn't like there was any pressure, they set an example: dad playing oud, mom played piano. We were all just drawn to music. Even in my piano lesson days there was no pressure practice, but there was always encouragement, positive reinforcement... 'you sound great.'"

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TONIGHT: Barakka @ Penn Museum

POSTED: Wednesday, June 20, 2012, 2:00 PM

Filed Under: Music | Philly Bands Show

Tonight’s Barakka show promises the full compliment of players: Baris Kaya (vocals/guitar), Roger Mgrdichian (oud), Joseph Tayoun (darbuka/percussion), Jay Mintz (bass), Jimmy Hamilton (drums) and William Tayoun (keyboard). Some of those names seem show up everywhere the rhythms dare to break through the 4/4 wall? Pretty much.

Billy Tayoun explains, “All of us have of us have been playing all our lives. It wasn’t like there was any pressure, they set an example: dad playing oud, mom played piano. We were all just drawn to music. Even in my piano lesson days there was no pressure practice, but there was always encouragement, positive reinforcement… ‘you sound great.’”

Tayoun continues wistfully, “Without the [bygone Old City club] Middle East, for me and Joe and Roger, we would never have been so versatile. It was a place to experience our culture and to play with all kinds of musicians, Greeks, Turkish, Armenian…” all over that interesting part of the world with its compelling rhythms and fondness for quarter tones.

Tonight’s show is different from the ones where that trio of Middle East alums show up and blend into any number of different traditions from around the Med. Tonight the focus will have the taste of trad, but the focus will be on original compositions by Kaya or Mgrdichian. Tayoun explains, “Baris is an extraordinary musician, and what’s funny, he focused on heavy metal in Turkey, he had to come here to appreciate his folk music.” Expect new tunes infused with folk but undeniably modern as well.

Tonight, Wed., June 20, 5 p.m., $5, University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 3260 South St., 215-898-4000. More info here.

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