The main focus of the New York-based Slavo Rican Assembly is the exploration of the similarities and differences between the music of the Puerto Rican (and generally, Caribbean), and South Slavic cultures, merging them into a cohesive, brand-new and unique sound.
The band members (3 Puerto Ricans, 2 Slovenians, 1 Cuban, plus a Serbian vocalist!) combine the musical traditions from the Balkans and beyond with the ones of the Caribbean, synthesizing them seamlessly in a never-before-heard, attractive, heartfelt and powerful rhythmical entity.
Many surprising new creations come out of this mixture - the listener can travel from a deeply melancholic Slavic lullaby, full of sorrow, into the heart of the Caribbean to a street-like jam session fiesta in the matter of moments, sometimes even within the same song!
All of that is happening while the group's use of electronics sometimes steers the musical helm toward completely new, still unexplored, distant sonic galaxies.
With its cross-cultural sound, the group aims to demonstrate the universality of human experiences across national, political, and cultural borders, thus creating new "tribal" connections, which are more organized around ideas than blood relations, demonstrating the human ability to connect to all kinds of people in ways that are not exclusive, but expansive.
Thus far, the Slavo Rican Assembly has performed to enchanted crowds at various legendary venues in New York City, including Carnegie Hall (Weill Hall), Le Frak Concert Hall (Aaron Copland School of Music), and The Louis Armstrong House Museum. and also performed at the Live at the Gantries concert series, curated by the Kupferberg Center for the Arts.
In the Summer of 2019, the group performed a very successful tour of Slovenia, during which they performed at internationally renowned music festivals, such as Ljubljana Jazz Festival, SaxGo '19 Festival, and Jazz Ravne concert series, to name a few.
Line up:
Jan Kus (Slovenia) – saxophones, effects
Aleksandra Denda (Serbia) – vocals
Gabriel Vicéns (Puerto Rico) – guitar
Ahmed Alom Vega (Cuba) – piano, keyboard
Dan Martínez (Puerto Rico)– double bass, electric bass
Victor Pablo (Puerto Rico) - percussion
Žan Tetičkovič aka Jean John (Slovenia) – drums, drum pad
MORE INFO AT: www.jankusmusic.com/slavorican
PLEASE NOTE: There is a ONE DRINK MINIMUM for standing and bar stools, and TWO DRINK MINIMUM at tables.
Limited seating is available on a first come first served basis.
Advance tickets are available online until 5:30PM, day of show. Any remaining tickets can be purchased at the door at showtime.