Last Saturday we witnessed Shodekeh register beats on the Richter Scale with a presentation that made drummers from Canton to California drop their sticks and start moving their lips, but that’s not why he’s smiling in this picture. This was a beautiful day for Baltimore’s own beat box phenom.
He’s smiling because his brainchild Embody took its first steps this weekend when three incredible performers stormed the stage at The Patterson Theater and left the audience dazed and inspired.
Shodekeh has taken it upon himself to initiate the exploration of the vocal arts by bringing together unlikely a capella ensembles through a series of concerts set to become a full festival in 2012.
This particular performance featured a throat singer, an opera singer, a beat boxer and an impressive participatory display from the audience.
Bonnie Lander is a classically trained coloratura soprano who performs and collaborates within a wide range of music including contemporary compositions, electro acoustic and experimental improvisations. Her solo performance this evening would definitely be considered experimental as she playfully explored the several facets of her vocal ability.
Ian Hesford has made a name for himself as a master tribal instrumentalist and can most often be seen performing in full body paint playing the didgerido, kubing, dumbek and djun-djun,with his band Telesma. During this performance, Ian showcased another of his many talents: The art of overtone singing otherwise known as throat singing.
During the Embody concert each of the three performers were showcased in a solo set and then came together for an improvisational collaboration that at times included the audience. The combination of such disparate disciplines of music on one stage demonstrated the talent and imagination of all three vocalists. The result was at times wondrous, amusing and nothing less than spectacular.
