Portland ensemble Seffarine brings a new album and a Saharan Desert story to the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts in Beaverton on Friday, Oct. 16.
The group, founded by Moroccan singer Lamiae Naki and Portland-born guitarist Nat Hulskamp, will perform "Abaraz" at 7:30 p.m. The multimedia concert pairs live music with film footage shot in southern Morocco and clips of interviews with musicians the band met there. Tickets cost $40 to $50 through The Reser's website.
"Abaraz" translates to "Gateway to the Sahara." The album grew out of a residency in Mhamid El Ghizlane, a small oasis town at the southern edge of Morocco. Climate change is reshaping the landscape there, OPB reported Oct. 12. The album explores the music of southern Morocco and the Arab and West African traditions that shaped it. It releases Oct. 16, making the Beaverton show an album-release concert.
The performance will feature guest artists from Morocco, Spain, Tunisia and New York City alongside the core ensemble. Spanish filmmakers Pablo Macias and Soledad Villalba shot the video footage that accompanies the show.
Naki was born in Fes, Morocco. The band takes its name from the Seffarine, an ancient metalworking square in Fes where her family has long been known as master craftsmen. Her family also has roots in the Mhamid region of southern Morocco, according to the PRAx Center at Oregon State University. She met Hulskamp in 2008, according to a profile by the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation. Hulskamp studied oud in Morocco and later earned a degree in ethnomusicology at the University of Washington.
Seffarine blends Moroccan and southern Spanish traditions with jazz and other contemporary styles. Bass Player Magazine called the group's sound a "gorgeous intersection of Spanish flamenco, Arabic and Andalusian music, Persian classical, and jazz."
The band's debut album, "De Fez a Jerez," was recorded in Jerez, Spain and placed in the Transglobal World Music Charts top 20. Since then, Seffarine has performed at the Chicago World Music Festival, Toronto's Koerner Hall and the Rainforest World Music Festival in Malaysia. The Reser describes the Oct. 16 concert as a return engagement for the group.
The project was commissioned by the PRAx Center for the Performing Arts at Oregon State University and supported by grants from the Oregon Community Foundation and the Miller Foundation.
The Patricia Reser Center for the Arts is at 12625 SW Crescent St. in Beaverton. Tickets and information are available at the Reser's website or by calling (971) 501-7722.
