Global Sounds on the Hill featuring Zedashe: Polyphonic Choir and Folk Dancers from Caucasus Georgia

Curated and hosted by iconic DC impresario and musician Jim Thomson

“Sit back and submit to the trance of primal music.” -Villagevoice.com

Zedashe ensemble (ანსამბლი ზედაშე) is a polyphonic vocal choir and dance group from the nation of Georgia. Directed by Ketevan Mindorashvili, Zedashe is one of the few mixed (male and female) choirs in Georgia led by women. The ensemble was founded in the mid-1990s to preserve the polyphonic folk songs and chants, unique to Georgia, that were largely lost during the Communist era. These chants run through the heart of Georgia’s rich history, through Orthodox Christian liturgical services to the nation’s ancient pagan roots.

Zedashe’s ninth album, Silver Sanctuary (Electric Cowbell Records) brims over with 22 songs drawn from twelve different regions of Georgia. Ancient chants, ballads, wedding songs, work songs, medieval allegories, dance melodies, feast songs, instrumental melodies and more reflect decades of research and dedicated song collecting. While the choir’s powerhouse vocals and astute arrangements keep the music fresh for the 21st century.

“In Georgia, every song has a history behind it,” says Ketevan Mindorashvili. “All of them are true stories, in a way, because they tell us the story of our roots. On this record we ended up recording five wedding songs, which surprised me. I found myself drawn to the storylines of these songs, which are very dramatic and often depict love triangles, sometimes of real people. Some are hundreds of years old, but are the poetry is as vivid as any film or novel. I love ‘Kakhuri Maqruli’ for lines like: ‘Pearls falling from the sky’ and ‘Rose blooming in your cheeks’, for me this is very close to the poetry of Rumi.”

About Jim Thomson: Jim Thomson owns and operates the Washington, DC-based boutique record label Electric Cowbell Records. He currently runs Multiflora Productions out of Washington, DC, an independent live music production agency that specializes in expanding the reach of eclectic traditional and non-traditional artists by creating a time and space where their work is presented in an environment where audiences and artists alike have a meaningful and significant experience together. In 2014 he became the music coordinator for the Capital Fringe Festival and also programmed the “Fringe Music in the Library ” series, which offered free live music in the DC Public Libraries through a sponsorship from the DC Public Library Foundation. He has booked several US tours for acclaimed artists such as Sahel Sounds recording artists Mdou Moctar and Les Filles de Illighadad, along with Zedashe from the Republic of Georgia, BCUC from South Africa, and several others. He is a founding member and played drums in: GWAR, Alter-Natives (SST Records), Bio Ritmo, and CSC Funk Band. He currently plays drums in the DC-based punk rock band, Time Is Fire.