David Ellenbogen (guitar) + Ron McBee (percussion)

Spiral Music presents acoustic music every Wednesday evening at the base of the Museum’s spiral staircase. Artists who specialize in music from the Himalayas and South Asia are invited to forge a connection between their music and the art in the galleries. David Ellenbogen on guitar (Brooklyn Raga Massive, Acoustic Mandala Project) and Ron McBee on percussion (Sun Ra Arkestra, Hassan Hakmoun) have a rare synergy and a joyous, spontaneous approach to musical styles from around the world.

About the Musicians

David Ellenbogen

David Ellenbogen is a guitarist and producer who has performed and studied across the globe in places like Mali, Ghana, India, Brazil, and Cuba. He currently plays with Raga Cubana featuring Roman Diaz, many incarnations of the Brooklyn Raga Massive All-Stars, songstress Heather Fisch, and the Acoustic Mandala Project, among others. He was initiated into the musical style of the Djeli’s, an 800-year-old tradition of West Africa, by Abdoulaye Diabate and Famoro Dioubate, with whom he has played for years. He is known for his work expanding the audience for world music as a DJ on WKCR 89.9 FM, host of the podcast NYC Radio Live, and executive producer of the 24-hour Ragas Live Festival.

Ron McBee

Percussionist Ron McBee has been performing, touring and studying for over twenty years. Though he is at home with many musical styles, his focus has been on the percussion traditions of the African diaspora, from hambone, spoons, and washboard playing, to drumming styles of the Caribbean and South America. Ron has toured with several popular artists including The Sun Ra Arkestra and Hasan Hakmoun. A prolific composer for theatre and dance, Ron has composed and arranged the music for Harriet’s Return and the percussion arrangements for the New York, London, and Los Angeles productions of The Colored Museum. Along with Hasan Bakr and Victor Y. See Yuen, he is the founder of the percussion band Heritage O.P.