Tour Dates: 9 Sep - 20 Sep, 2010

“Boi Akih has a unique sound, an inimitable color within the current musical landscape...”
- Citizen Jazz, France, November 2004

Monica Akihary - vocal
Niels Brouwer - guitar
Sandip Bhattacharya - tabla

Moluccan Folk Music Fused with Modern Jazz
Born in the Netherlands of Moluccan origin, Monica Akihary has studied sculpture at the School of Fine Art in Amsterdam and the Arts Academy in Yogyakarta (Indonesia). Monica's partner in life and music is Dutch guitar virtuoso Niels Brouwer, an intriguing composer and fascinating improviser who wrote all the music for the new album.

Brouwer and Akihary have integrated this language into their very own musical style rooted in Indonesian (Gamelan, Javanese), South Indian and European classical music along with jazz. It is an exotic amalgam spiced with Indian rhythms and lively improvisation, "a curious mix of jazz", as Akihary says, "a new kind of jazz if you like." Akihary and Brouwer also have the tendency to describe their music as folk music. Folk music in the sense Thelonious Monk had in mind when he explained Bob Dylan “we all play folk music”.

Akih creates its own vibrating universe inspired and infused by various kinds of music (from contemporary to roots, singer songwriter and improvised music). They dig into undercurrents and expand the bounds of traditions they meet such that these melt together. In its compositions Boi Akih is searching for the complexity in the suppleness and the simpleness in complexity.

Whereas Akihary’s heritage is Moluccan as Brouwer is Dutch, the music of Boi Akih is a prism of various roots and rays where colors and sounds come together within a strong compositions foundation along improvisational passways.

Boi Akih performs in different setups expanding from duo to a six piece band. Each of these configurations has its own sound due to the interplay of members searching for their own origin during an ongoing adventurous voyage.

"Yalelol" (the non-physical being), Boi Akih’s fifth album, makes good use of many influences ranging from Indonesian traditional music to blues, Arabic rhythms, west African songs and more. Monica Akihary's dazzling voice leads us into a new and still developing world of subtle feelings and glowing colors. She is an exceptional vocalist who sends her song directly into the listener's soul. In Business Day, Gwen Ansell wrote: "Vocalist, not singer, is the best term for Akihary: her voice swings sweetly – but also soars and swoops, scats and whispers."

Special Guest: Sandip Bhattacharya
An unlikely combination of technical skills and thrilling melodies, Boi Akih, the duo with special guest on tabla, Sandip Bhattacharya, playfully connects the simple with the complex, thus creating a unity both deeply felt and daringly innovative. Sandip Bhattacharya is a prominent name among Indian music lovers. He was born and raised in India's oldest cultural and holy center, Benares. A place that gave the world such musical giants as Pandit Anokhelal Misra, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Pandit Kishen Maharaj, Pandit Mahadev Misra, Pandit Samta Prasad, Pandit Omkarnath Thakur, Smt. Bageshwari Devi, Pandit Jyotin Bhattacharya, Pandit Sharda Sahai, Pandit Rajan and Sajan Misra, Smt. Girja Devi, Pandit Mahapurus Misra and Pandit Ishwar Lal Misra.

Reviews

“In their combination of European, Indian and Indonesian cultures on one side and jazz at the other side, Boi Akih has a unique sound, an inimitable color within the current musical landscape...”
- Citizen Jazz, France, November 2004

“Kicking her sandals off, she steps onto the carpet with bare feet and begins singing like an angel. Without a hint of exaggeration, he play stunningly on a gently amplified guitar. The Moluccan/Dutch Monica Akihary, doesn’t need many words. She is a musician who happens to sing. It's her timing and tone that matters most. Akihary's voice is colorful, especially in the low tones and Brouwer's guitar contrasts her perfectly. The duo was impressive ina very still BIMhuis...” 
- NRC Handelsblad, December 2007

“Fabulous singing and masterly guitar playing in their own universe...”
- Volkskrant, December 2007

Beijing Tour

10^th September - Star Live, 9pm
Price:  VIP 280/ 200 RMB at the door/ 170 RMB with membership card/ 150 RMB before Aug 30
Hotline: (010) 5165 0798, 6425 5567

For booking inquiry please contact

Mr. Ma Ran
Head of the Marketing Department
Tel. +86 10 5165 0798 ext. 18
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