Bay Area Bridges: Joel Demir (oud) & Brandon Webb (percussion) with RDL+
A monthly series curated by RDL+, Bay Area Bridges celebrates the Bay Area music scene and beyond with Oakland as its hub. For this installment of Bay Area Bridges, RDL+ will be joined by oud player Joel Demir and Arabic percussionist Brandon Webb as we journey East to the heart of Arabic music. The concert will feature selections of traditional repertoire from the Middle East as well as contemporary compositions inspired by this rich musical tradition. Come join us for what is sure to be an exciting musical journey!
JOEL DEMIR & BRANDON WEBB
Joel Demir began his musical journey at the age of 15 when he started studying the guitar. His passion for music grew each year and eventually lead him to change majors from engineering to music. After graduating from Cal Poly with a bachelor’s degree in music, Joel felt compelled to get in touch with his middle eastern heritage and took up the oud, the Arabic instrument that inspired the European lute. In 2008 he joined the Cal Poly Arab Music Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Ken Habib, and has performed with the group on many occasions including the ensemble’s premier performance at Carnegie Hall. Today, Joel continues his journey composing, arranging, transcribing and performing music on both oud and guitar in a variety of settings.
Brandon Webb graduated from Cal Poly State University in Spring of 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in percussion performance. While at Cal Poly, he studied Arabic percussion as well as western classical percussion, and performed with the Arab Music Ensemble, the Cal Poly Symphony, and the Polyrhythmics percussion ensemble. Since graduating, he has continued performing orchestral and Arabic music through San Luis Obispo County.
RDL+
With their 2014 debut album, Más P’alla Va, RDL+ is building an original sound that embodies the members’ collective ideas, inspirations, and histories. RDL+ is Ruthie Dineen on keys, Doug Lee on bass, Luis Salcedo on guitar, plus(+) the Bay Area's best up-and-coming musicians. The group focuses on writing and playing original compositions, while taking both lyrical and open improvisations on the pieces. While maintaining an aesthetic stemming from traditional jazz, the group experiments with odd meters, timbre, form, and melodic ideas. Nonetheless, the exploratory nature of the group is always rooted in the essence of the composed or arranged pieces.
Ruthie Dineen, piano
Doug Lee, bass
Luis Salcedo, guitar
DOORS AT 6:30PM, SHOW AT 7PM
$10-15 Sliding Scale