Two critically acclaimed and exciting artists have been secured for
WOMAD New Zealand 2018.
Los Angeles saxophonist, composer and jazz superstar
Kamasi Washington and
Indian classical and progressive sitar virtuoso
Anoushka Shankar have
signed on to be two of the headlining acts for the popular three day
international music and dance festival.
Multi-award winning Washington is a jazz giant who has played alongside Lauryn
Hill, Snoop Dogg, John Legend and most recently, Kendrick Lamar.
Kamasi’s contemporary take on jazz have been compared to John Coltrane, Jimi
Hendrix and Miles Davis, and he has wowed crowds and critics at both Coachella
and Glastonbury.
Hailed as one of the hottest young jazz acts in the world, Washington will
perform exclusively at WOMAD New Zealand, alongside his impressive full band.
Grammy nominated sitar player and composer Anoushka Shankar will also be one of
the headlining acts.
The 36-year-old is the half-sister of American singer and songwriter Norah
Jones and is one of the leading figures in World Music today.
Named as one of Time magazine’s Asian Heroes, Anoushka Shankar is a much lauded
musician, author and columnist, as well as a strong advocate for women’s
rights.
Taught to play the sitar by her father, the famous Ravi Shankar, Anoushka
Shankar has performed with a wide range of artists, including Sting, Eric
Clapton, Lenny Kravitz, and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
“These two critically acclaimed artists are leaders in their respective genres
and both artists reflect the strength and diversity that WOMAD New Zealand has
become recognised for,” says NZ Programme Manager; Emere Wano.
Wano says “World Music is still our core and every year we present acts from
many corners of the world, including New Zealand and Australia. We aren’t just
about being outward looking at what the world can bring to us, but inclusive
and showing the world what we have here at home too.”
They join the already announced classic Kiwi band
Dragon.
The full line-up
will be announced on the evening of October 18 2017.
WOMAD New Zealand is
on March 16 to 18, 2018 at Brooklands Park in New Plymouth.
Tickets are on sale
now from womad.co.nz.
There are currently no comments for this article. Please log in to add new comments.