Tomchess + Kevin Nathaniel

Tomchess (oud, ney) + Kevin Nathaniel (mbira)

Tomchess is a NYC based Multi-instrumentalist/improviser/composer who has played and recorded with some of the heaviest players in the improvisational scene (Dewey Redman, Butch Morris, Pharoah Sanders, Drew Gress, Ronald Shannon Jackson), as well as Morrocan Sintarist Hassan Hakmoun. Having deeply studied the Near Eastern, and North African traditions he incorporated the tonal palette, rhythms, and forms of these traditional musics while never losing sight of his American roots and the importance and freedom of improvising. He has performed in Africa, Canada, Holland, and Italy. He has performed at Lincoln Center, The David Rubinstein Atrium, The Turkish Embassy, The Pakastani Embassy, the Asian Society, The Natural History Museum, The Metropolitan Museum, The Himalayan Museum of Art and The United Nations among countless other venues in NYC and the United States. He has performed on NPR and PBS. He has played on Grammy Nominated recordings. He has been awarded grants from the Turkish American Society and The Maryland Council For The Arts. He was nominated for a 2012 Independent Music Award.

Kevin Nathaniel is a pioneer on the world music scene and one of the early musicians to introduce New York audiences to the magical sound of the mbira. He is an internationally celebrated musical inspiration for the new age, meditation, percussion, and yoga world, with several recordings available on iTunes and CDbaby. Kevin has composed and performed music for the film Beloved, the audio book of Alice Walker’s Possessing the Secret of Joy, Ali MacGraw’s Yoga Mind and Body (Dvd), and countless other productions. He produces live music events weekly in NYC that encourage peace and global harmony through music. Kevin also serves as musician-in-residence at Omega Institute.