Sabrina Lastman Quintet

The Sabrina Lastman Quintet is an innovative music project that brings together jazz, South American rhythms with African roots like Candombe (Afro Uruguayan Music), and contemporary music. This project represents the many influences that vocalist/composer Sabrina Lastman has received, while living in her home country Uruguay, in Israel, and in New York. The Quintet plays original compositions, and arrangements of music by Latin American composers like Egberto Gismonti, and Rubén Rada, being some of her compositions inspired by the poetry of renowned South American writers. She brings those experiences – so far away from each other – to an artistic unity, showing that cultural bridges can be built. As a vocalist, Sabrina expands the possibilities of the voice, finding a rich variety of sonorities, colors, and textures. Sabrina sings in Spanish, English and Portuguese, keeping in each language a deep meaning of text and voice quality. The Quintet is formed by first class musicians with a wide experience and an impressive career of their own: Sabrina Lastman (voice & compositions), Emilio Solla (piano & arrangements), Edward Perez (double bass), Meg Okura (violin & erhu), and David Silliman (drums & percussions).

Tango Jazz Duo

The Tango Jazz Duo touches the boundaries of South American music, contemporary music and jazz, and plays original compositions by Sabrina Lastman, and interpretations of tango repertoire with pianist & composer / Grammy Award Winner Fernando Otero. A new sound that challenges traditional and modern Latin American music.

Candombe Jazz Project

The Candombe Jazz Project presents oral tradition songs, new arrangement of songs composed by important figures of the Uruguayan music scene, and original compositions by Sabrina Lastman.  Candombe is a drum-based musical style of Uruguay, that has its origins in Africa Bantu traditions. The Candombe Jazz Project encompasses a range of styles among jazz, funk, rock, tango and experimental elements. Musicians: Beledo (guitar & piano),  Bakithi Kumalo (bass), Arturo Prendez (candombe drum), David Silliman (drums/ percussion), Manuel Silva (candombe drum), and  Agrupación Lubola Macú.

Interdisciplinary Performances

Double Helix

DOUBLE HELIX is an interdisciplinary new media performance that explores the poetic intersection of music and digital technology. Double Helix investigates the expressive potential of  juxtaposing live music — through the use of the voice, percussion (body and instrumental), and psaltery– and live drawing and video art,  while exploring cultural and aesthetic underpinnings. The live drawings are triggered by hand gestures producing associated visual imageries. The development of a systematic visual/music vocabulary is an ongoing aspect of the project. www.doublehelixcollective.net

Sabrina Lastman: compositions, voice, psaltery, claves and body percussion
Petronio Bendito: visual art (live drawing and video art)

 

An Encounter with “El Duende”

An Encounter with “El Duende” is a Multidisciplinary Music Performance for voice, movement, sound, bowed psaltery, megaphone and visuals. Federico Garcia Lorca’s eerily passionate world comes to life through a re-imagination of his written, visual, and musical artistry. Performance concept, music and sound by Sabrina Lastman.

Inelement

Inelement is a new original work by SoCorpo that draws inspiration and influences from the ancient world’s five elements from various cultures: Fire, Water, Air, Earth & Void. An ode to the natural world and to the essences that enliven our bodies and lives. This composed and improvised work is for two voices: live and looped and two Western folk instruments, the bowed psaltery and autoharp: processed, live, plucked, bowed and strummed. Watch a video of Inelement’s premiere at Roulette, Nov 2011:.

On Becoming

On Becoming is an original music theatre work for two a cappella voices, recorded music, electronics, and live instruments. This work explores the dimensions and dynamics of the self, and its perpetual capacity of transformation. Conception & compositions by SoCorpo: Sasha Bogdanowitsch on voice, doso’ngoni, swarsangam, percussion, halo and electronics and Sabrina Lastman on voice, kantele, percussion and electronics. Watch excerpt video of Behind the Curtain, and Breathing at La Mama.

Dialogues of Silence

Dialogues of Silence is an interdisciplinary performance of voice, sound, movement and visuals. This new music theatre piece is based on the poetry and inner world perception of Uruguayan poet Idea Vilariño (1920-2009). In this performance, Vilariño’s existentialist poetry meets music & sounds that create a world beyond the limits of the text’s power. Dialogues of Silence consists of a solo vocal artist who translates the poetic atmosphere into a dance and sound experience. Conception, compositions, movement, voice: Sabrina Lastman. Visuals: Shige Moriya

River of Painted Birds

River of Painted Birds by Sabrina Lastman was commissioned by NYSCA and premiered in 2010. This music performance is created for solo voice (sung, spoken, pre-recorded), walkmans and electronics,  combining composed sections and free improvisation. This piece is inspired by the poetry and texts of former political prisoners that wrote as a response to the repression, both during and after the military dictatorship in Uruguay (1973-1985). Texts by Mauricio Resencof, Edda Fabbri, Henry Engler,  and Adolfo Wasem. Visuals by Helen Dennis. Linux Audio Programming by Marcos Wasem. River of Painted Birds was created on Ubuntu (OS) using Linux, SooperLooper, Ardour, Jack, and Ladish programs.