Kamasi Washington and Anoushka Shankar for WOMAD 2018
Venkat Raman
Womad New Zealand 2018 will feature two critically acclaimed and exciting artistes.
Los Angeles saxophonist, composer and jazz superstar Kamasi Washington and Indian classical and progressive sitar virtuoso Anoushka Shankar will be among the performing artistes at the three-day international music and dance festival scheduled to be held from March 16 to 18, 2018 at Brooklands Park and the TSB Bowl of Brooklands, New Plymouth.
Tickets are on sale now at womad.co.nz
WOMAD New Zealand 2018 will mark the 14th Anniversary of the Organisation.
As well as music and dance, WOMAD events offer several other programmes within its campsite, located a short distance from New Plymouth’s centre.
Natural Amphitheatre
The main stage will be set at the base of a natural amphitheatre with a stunning setting and acoustic experience. The other three stages are located throughout Brooklands Park.
The maximum capacity for WOMAD is 15,000 ticket holders per day.
Children will find entertainment and amusement at Kidzone with special workshops over the weekend.
Kamasi Washington
A Multi-award winner, Kamasi Washington is a jazz giant who has played with Lauryn Hill, Snoop Dogg, Herbie Hancock, John Legend and Kendrick Lamar.
His 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.
His ground-breaking debut triple album ‘The Epic,’ released in 2015, gave jazz a contemporary reboot. The release instantly set him on the path as a torchbearer for progressive, improvisational music that would open the door for new audiences to experience music unlike anything they had heard before.
Hailed as one of the hottest young jazz acts in the world, Washington will perform exclusively at WOMAD New Zealand, with his impressive full band.
Anoushka Shankar
Grammy-nominated sitar player and composer Anoushka Shankar is the half-sister of American singer and songwriter Norah Jones.
Named as one of Time magazine’s Asian Heroes, the 36-six-year-old 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 late Pandit Ravi Shankar, Anoushka has performed with a wide range of artistes, including Sting, Eric Clapton, Lenny Kravitz, and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
Kamasi and Anoushka will join the classic Kiwi band Dragon.
Strength and Diversity
New Zealand Programme Manager Emere Wano said that the two critically acclaimed artistes are leaders in their respective genres, reflecting the strength and diversity for which that WOMAD New Zealand is famous.
“World Music is still our core and every year we present acts from many corners of the world, including New Zealand and Australia. We are 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,” she said.
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Photo Caption:
- The WOMAD Team- Emere Wano is fourth from left
