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Zashto?
Mara! Big Band
"A long cherished-dream of Mara and Llew Kiek, the project is wildly ambitious, but meets its own challenges with flair and conviction."
Personnel
Mara Kiek co-leader, voice, percussion
Llew Kiek co-leader, bouzouki, baglama, mandolin, acoustic and electric guitars
Silvia Entcheva voice
Jenny Dornan voice
Jarnie Birmingham voice
Sandy Evans soprano and tenor saxophone
Paul Cutlan Eb and Bb clarinets, piccolo, sopranino, alto and tenor saxophone,
Andrew Robson alto and baritone saxophone
James Greening trombone, pocket trumpet, tuba
Sam Golding flute, trumpet & tuba
Gary Daley piano accordion
Lloyd Swanton bass
Jess Ciampa drums & percussion
Zashto? is a recording of original music by the Mara! Big Band, a 13-piece ensemble that sits between the Eastern European Gypsy brass band and jazz big band traditionsThis recording explores the migrant experience in Australia and the spectre of physical and psychological incarceration that has accompanied it for more than 200 years.
“Three women (Irish, Bulgarian & Iranian) speak to us from different times and different circumstances of the trauma that scarred them and we pose the question Zashto?” (Mara! website)