Mediterranean folk roots

Maltese għana (folk song), Persian music and Turkish folk-jazz fusion will come together for this year’s Għanafest.

A concert series of Mediterranean folk roots will be held at the Argotti Gardens in Floriana on June 10, 11 and 12.

The festival will also host a series of workshops on traditional instruments and a special programme for children. Traditional Maltese food will also be available.

Besides local folk music, the festival presents a variety of local musicians and ensembles. This category includes the Big Band Brothers, with a selection of Maltese songs from the 1930s, Trania, a fusion world-beat trio featuring Walter Vella, Jason Fabri and Mark Attard, and songwriters David Azzopardi and The Greenfields.

Three bands from Sicily, Turkey and Iran have also been invited to participate. The music of Nakaira from Sicily portrays influences from Sicilian and Greek traditions with a combination of instruments such as zampogna, bouzouki, saz and oud.

Swing a la Turc quartet features Senol Filiz, a respected master of the ney – an end-blown flute that figures prominently in Middle Eastern music. The musical arrangements of Önder Focan portrays Turkish music within a folk-jazz context. Navà ensemble will deliver a performance of Persian music from the classical and folk tradition.

The concert of Navà ensemble will also showcase a wide range of musical instruments: târ – Persian lute, setâr – long necked lute, the tombak drum carved from a single block of wood and other percussion: daf, dayeréh and dohol.

Għanafest – Malta Mediterranean Folk Music Festival 2011 is organised by the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts. Tickets at €3, or €7 for a three-day block ticket, are available at the door.

www.maltafolkmusicfestival.org