The sitar of India. The bouzouki from Greece. The West African sherkere … Traditional instruments of all shapes, sounds and sizes help define music from cultures across the globe. But the percussive rhythms of the drum are universal … there is something about the primal beat that echoes the heart and beckons the soul. The Korean Shamanic percussion group, Noreum Machi plays upon that instinct. Using instruments and vocalizations, they perform music known as samul nori. Shawn Choi, founder and director of SORI, a New York City based artist agency that specializes in Korean music, tells us about the group and its music.
For information about Noreum Machi's Creative Alliance performance on Sat. March 3, visit this link.