Playbill Series: Alpha Yaya Diallo and the Bafing Riders and Kiran Ahluwalia
Saturday, June 30 7:00 p.m. · Donald Cameron Hall Amphitheatre
Adult $15, Student/Senior/Child $13, family of four $41 (max 2 adults)
♥ Arts Lover Passholders free
Banff Centre Box Office: 1-800-413-8368 or 762-6301
Presented by The Banff Centre and Banff Special Events Corporation
Part of the 2007 Banff Summer Arts Festival
Celebrate the Canada Day long weekend with an outdoor world music concert at The Banff Centre. The Centre’s Playbill Series hosts the funky African sounds of Alpha Yaya Diallo and his band the Bafing Riders and the south Asian folk and traditional music of Kiran Ahluwalia in the scenic Donald Cameron Hall outdoor amphitheatre. With tickets now available free to Arts Lovers, the show is on the evening of Saturday, June 30.
Three-time Juno award winner Alpha Yaya Diallo is well-known for the energy and excitement of his live shows. Backed by his African band the Bafing Riders, Diallo’s live shows feature his agile guitar playing, variety of percussion instruments, and skill on the balafon, a wooden xylophone. While true to his West African musical heritage, Diallo also infuses his music with contemporary blues and jazz to create a unique sophisticated sound.
Originally from Guinea, now based in Vancouver, Diallo has released five highly-acclaimed albums of his own compositions including his latest, Djama (2005). The album includes four instrumentals that evoke the West African landscape, from the blues of the desert to the melancholy of the windswept isles of the coast.
Joining Diallo will be Indo-Canadian singer Kiran Ahluwalia and a band that features musicians on guitar, harmonium, and tabla. Ahluwalia has been winning fans with her creative revival of the ancient art of singing ghazals and Punjabi folk songs, two distinct styles of vocal music from India and Pakistan. Born in northern India and raised in Toronto, she has immersed herself in the study of Indian music, seeking out tutelage from one of the last living court musicians of the Nizam (King) of Hyderabad. Ahluwalia’s folk songs on her album Beyond Boundaries earned her a Juno Award for Best World Music Recording in 2004.
In the event of inclement weather, this concert will be held in the Eric Harvie Theatre.
Tickets for all Banff Centre events are available through The Banff Centre Box Office: 1-800-413-8368 or 403-762-6301.
