Tag Archives: Kosi

Catching Up

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It’s Been a While!

Yes, we need to catch up.

First of all, thanks to all of you who attended the Harmolodic Raga Cycle performance at Music Inn, NYC! It was a marvelous concert (here’s some video).

Now, let’s look ahead!

On Friday, August 28th, I will be joining the Brooklyn Raga Massive All Stars for the next performance of Terry Reily’s “In C.” The performance will start at 7pm, and will be held at the Rubin Museum of Art (150 west 17th street, NYC). Tickets are available. Check us out on facebook.

September will be a landmark for me. On Tuesday, September 1st, 7pm, Openings Collective will be presenting an exhibit titled “On the Inner and Outer Self.” This is happening at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle (405 west 59th st. at Columbus Ave. NYC). I bring this up because I am one of the artists whose work will be featured. This will be my first exhibit. The exhibit will run between 9/1/15 – 10/22/15, and is open to the public.

The next Music Meditation Session will be at the Namaste Healing Center (80 5th avenue, suite 1104, NYC) on Thursday, September 17th, 7pm. The exchange is a mere $15.

The next God’s Unruly Friends performance will be at the University of the Streets on Sunday, October 11th, 7pm. This will be GUF’s FIRST performance in the Bronx!

There will be a Music Meditation Session on Wednesday, October 28th, 6pm at Jivamukti Yoga Center (841 Broadway, NYC). My first Session at Jivamukti!

And don’t forget that God’s Unruly Friends will present a big show at BAM Cafe (30 Lafayette Ave. Brooklyn, NY) on Friday, November 13th. More info to come!

Permit me a little nepotism. September 10th, 11th, & 12th, my wife Kosi will present “Ghosts Appearing Through the Sound: Kosi’s Tribute to Abbey Lincoln” This is happening at the WoW Cafe Theater (61 east 4th st, 4th floor, buzzer 6, NYC) More info here.

Well! That’s a lot of information! Thanks for reading all of this. I look forward to sharing beautiful and unique music with all of you!
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I need a favor

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Yes, I’m in a position where I must ask a favor; something I intensely dislike doing. But it’s not for myself.
 
Kosi (my wife), is producing a concert of her own. It’s a tribute to the great Abbey Lincoln. The details are in this link (kosi-sings.com/fund).
 
She’s financing it through crowd funding. The crowd funding campaign ends this Thursday. If you could find it in your heart to help her, you would be doing a truly noble thing for supporting independent arts and artists.
 
And I can promise you the concert itself will be the work of an up and coming master of jazz vocals. You will not be sorry (or walk away empty handed).
 
Again, the campaign ends this Thursday. Thanks!
 
Dawoud

Another new gig, and something else.

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Permit me to announce the World Premier of the Harmolodic Raga Cycle. This is a series of compositions / improvisational templates that bridge the concepts of harmolodics with the primordial essence of Indian Raga. This will be a solo performance (with possible special guest TBA) at Music Inn (169 west 4th street NYC) on Saturday, August 8th, 9PM. The exchange is $10.

If all goes according to plan, the concert will be recorded, and the recording will be released digitally and on CD.

If you’ll permit me, there is one last thing I wish to share.

My wife, master jazz singer Kosi, is presenting a tribute to Abby Lincoln. This unprecedented project includes an upcoming CD release, and the show “Ghosts Appearing Through the Sound”; a three day theatrical run at Wow Cafe Theater (59-61 east 4th street, 4th floor, NYC) on September 10th, 11th, & 12th. Her Rockethub campaign is in the final days. Please check it out; you will not want to miss this.

See you soon! Onward and upward!

The Adventure Continues!

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First of all, for those of you who are reading this who are Muslims, Ramadan Mubarak! I pray this Ramadan is a blessed and beautiful experience for you. And for those of you who are not Muslim, I offer the same!

These past two weeks, I’ve been getting acclimated to being a married man (and recovering from the wedding). And concurrently, some interesting things have been coming up.

God’s Unruly Friends is planning some more performances, including a date in November at BAM Cafe in November. We are also in the beginning stages of work on a recording. More details to come.

On Friday, July 3rd, at 6:45, I will offer music for a yoga class taught by Jessica Stickler. The class is at Jivamukti Yoga Center (841 Broadway, 2nd floor, NYC).

After a hiatus, I have returned to offering the Music Meditation Sessions! The next one is at Namaste Bookshop (2 west 14th st. NYC) on Tuesday, July 31st, 8PM. The exchange will be $15.

Looking a bit a head, On Wednesday, August 5th, 6-9pm, I will perform at the Rubin Museum of Art (150 west 14th st. NYC). I will be joined by Jimmy Lopez on percussion. This is a free concert in a family friendly venue.

The 2nd edition of  my novel “A Quantum Hijra,” and the release of my collection of short stories “A Mansion with Many Rooms” is scheduled for Ramadan. I will keep you all informed.

Looking forward to sharing these experiences with you!!

A Personal Announcement.

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kosi at cornilia

Normally, I don’t share a lot of personal information online. However, I thought the following merits an exception.

The lovely lady in the photo is Kosi (a.k.a. Akosua Gyebi). Some months back, she consented to be my wife. Today, Sunday, June 14th, 2015, we are to be wed at Masjid Farah in New York City.

She is a most remarkable woman! She’s brought me a great deal of happiness and inspiration. And you will doubtless be interested to know she is an amazing singer. Check her out at kosi-sings.com, or here.

The Prophet Muhammad (sas) said that a woman is the other half of a man. I am complete.

Warm Thoughts on a Cold Night

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Welcome to my new website! Designed by Her Awesomeness TSMK.

It’s another COLD February night in NYC. I had a great gig in Brooklyn with master percussionist Jimmy Lopez. Afterward, we took a cab to Manhattan, and had an incredible discussion with the cab driver. This man is brilliant! I could have listened to him all night discoursing about religion, science, spirituality, history, linguistics, etc. A scholar disguised as a cabbie.

Today (2/28/15) I’m going to perform at Silvana (300 w. 116th, NYC) with Diana Wayburn and the Dances of the World Ensemble.

Then; full force final preperations for the next God’s Unruly Friends Concert at Theater for the New City! I’ll keep you all posted.

#godsunrulyfriends

 

coffee and daowud1

February 2015!!

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Dear me, I HAVE been negligent with my blog posts, haven’t I?

Well, I assure you it’s not due to lack of interest, In fact, I’ve been quite busy of late. And freezing cold! But that’s for anotehr blog.

If you are reading this, you are on my new website! Yes; godsunrulyfriends.com is my new base of operation / musical dojo / party space. I asked Kosi (jazz singer extraorinare, webmaster, and my fiancee) to build this for me. My old website renegadesufi.com is still operational, but I’ve begun a new phase: and a new band.

God’s Unruly Friends is a project that presents psychoactive jazz / world music form another world, with performances that use elements of theatrics, and other surprises. Our premier performance at the University of the Streets was a success, and held great promise for the future.

Our next performance will be at the Theater for the New City (155 1st avenue, NYC) on Monday, March 9th, 7pm.

You will note the hyperlink in the dropdown menu in “About Dawoud” called Music Meditations.” A year ago, I began conducting music meditation session. Their popularity has been slowly building; and the sessions themselves have been a great success. You aught to come by and experience it for yourself.

The 2nd edition of my Sufi science fiction novel “A Quantum Hijra” is coming out soon. Leilah Publications has negotiated a deal for the catalog to be distributed out of Egypt. And my short stories will appear in a collection to be released n summer 2015.

I am still writing for doobeedoobeedoo.info. Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi and I are also involved in a music activism program; a foundation called Enough is Enough NY. More details to come soon.

Also, I’m working at musical Director for the rock ballet “1001 Nights: Tales form Death Row.” This is produced by the Kandake Dance Company, and directed and written by Olga El.

Thanks for stopping by. This blog will be busy; and contain many interesting things. If you want to share your thoughts with me, write me at renegadesufi@gmail.com