Americanistan & Razia at Luna Jazz Club
By Jeanine Ethridge

(Note: This article appeared in Jareeda Magazine in the Spring of 2006)

Energy was high the evening of March 11 as Americanistan took the stage at Luna Jazz Club in Eugene, OR. Luna is an intimate venue with tasteful décor and a sophisticated menu of tapas and cocktails.  Audience members filled all the available seating and a buzz of anticipation filled the air.

The show began with a twenty-minute piece titled “A Village in Americanistan,” which showcased  the band’s skill at percussion as well as exotic melody instruments. The musicians kept up a driving rhythm on djembe, Egyptian and Turkish dumbeks, muzzar, frame drums and chimtas (a sword-like instrument from India with many cymbals), while taking turns on various other instruments. The piercing sound of the zurna began the piece like a ritual call to celebration, followed by the sparkling sound of the kanoon, a 78-stringed middle eastern zither. Next came the sweet sounds of the dvoyanka (double-chambered Bulgarian flute) and pennywhistle. A change to a slower, more sensuous rhythm introduced the breathy ney flute, harmonium and chanting, and yuemba, a cross between a birembau, shakers, and rebaba, (invented and played by band member John Marzicola). A rousing and intricate drum solo featuring the Egyptian dumbek finished the musical tour of the “village.”  It was an effective start to the evening and provided great contrast to the music to come.

The lovely duet Samar performed to an original piece with a lilting 6/8 rhythm featuring the flute and kanoon. Their set ended with a lively drum solo. Duo members Marah and Michelle are delightful dancers. They complement each other very well, as they are of a similar build, one dark and one blonde. Their choreography contained many creative touches, their dancing was in perfect synchronicity and their happy smiles communicated their joy in dancing. They were a “hit” with the audience.

Elena Villa was next to take the stage. She was absolutely stunning in a deep bottle-green costume. Her dance style is unique, a product of years of study and performance, with flawless technique and “big” energy. This evening she danced to  "Behlembeek”, “Bir Demet,” “Ney Solo,” and a drum solo. Elena is a favorite of Eugene audiences and of the band, and for very good reason. The deep connection between her dance, the music, and her audience was felt by all. Her set ended with thunderous applause and cheers.

After a break, the band performed a musical tribute to Ghafoor, an important member of the Eugene community who for many years owned and operated an Afghani food booth at Saturday Market and the Oregon Country Fair. He recently passed away and he will be missed by many. With great feeling, vocalist Anna Armaiti sang “Salaam Afghanistan,” a contemporary song of longing for one’s homeland. Then Anna and Dunyah performed an Attan, the national folk dance of Afghanistan, to accompaniment by the band.

Salome then performed a wonderful Egyptian style dance to “Raks Siretzi” with a flute and kanoon taxim and a drum solo. She was a crowd-pleaser with her beauty and great dance moves.

Razia, Featured Dancer for the evening, took the stage to “Nassam Alayna,” “Lamma Badah,” and drum solo. She looked gorgeous in a gold bra and belt and leopard-print skirt. Razia’s dance style is pure Egyptian, with delicate isolations, strong hips and tons of personality. A highlight of her set was the table of Arab students who were boisterously singing along to the music and clapping time. They seemed to be quite taken with her dancing.

The evening closed with more music by the band, audience members dancing away and a roar of happy voices in the background.

Members of Americanistan are Anna Armaiti, vocals, dvoyanka, frame drum, chimtas; Wayne “Omar” Gilbertson, lead dumbek, zurna, ney, chant; Dunyah, harmonium, Turkish dumbek, frame drum, arabic tambourine; Janet Naylor, kanoon, frame drum, muzzar, and John Marzicola, flute, pennywhistle, djembe, Brazilian tambourine, and yuemba.

Americanistan is planning to release a new CD titled “Live at Luna,” comprised of recordings made at three different Luna shows over the past year. Look for “Live at Luna” and a new CD of tribal dance music, coming soon at www.americanistan.com.

Photos by Jeanine Ethridge