22 Aug at 10:00 pm
Summerhall (venue 26), Dissection Room / 1 Summerhall (EH9 1PL)
Tickets: no admission charge
Raphael Rogiński
Deeply rooted in the Jewish culture, Raphael Rogiński always sought to accommodate it in his art. His compositions, improvisations and interpretations frequently constitute the soundtracks of various artistic events
Raphael Rogiński is a guitarist, composer and performer, improviser, cultural animator and student of musical folklore. His search into the Jewish musical tradtions bore the fruit of two projects: the ensembles Shofar and Cukunft of which Rogiński is the leader.
The musician also acts as the art director of festivals showcasing new Jewish culture – Tikkun, Varshe and Mizrach, as well as a consultant for projects featured at those festivals. Rogiński has a deep connection to Israeli culture, and another source of inspiration for him is the primitive music of America, most notably the blues and 1960s rock. Filtered and processed, it can be discerned in both his solo and band performances. A deep analysis of techniques employed by classical blues guitarists and the knowledge of instruments of the 1950s and 1960s form the basis of Rogiński’s sound.
This range of inspirations results in numerous projects of varying character and ambiance pursued by the musician with other instrumentalists:
American experimental music (from Harry Patch, Henry Cowell and others), inspired Rogiński to form the Spinalonga band. Research on primitive swing led him to found the band Ectoplasma, which plays music by Raymond Scott and early big band orchestras from around the Missisipi. Based on influences from early recordings of blues, Rogiński founded the band Wovoka. Research of European "early music" resulted in the recent release of Rogiński gra Bacha (Rogiński Plays Bach), a collection of Bach’s pieces played on prepared guitars. Rogiński is also involved in projects stemming from the international new jazz scene. His compositions, improvisations and interpretations are often used as soundtrack for various artistic events – documentaries and animations performing acts, traditional and multimedia theatre plays, and literature readings. Performing mainly on his own artistic terms, he gives solo concerts and leads various ensembles. To date, his ongoing musical projects include the aforementioned Shofar, Cukunft, Wovoka, Debka Rafiah and Ectoplasma, as well as the Nefesh (Mediterraneanean music), Falashmura (Jewish African music), the duo Sisters with DJ Lenar and solo concerts.
See more about the artist on: www.myspace.com/raphaelroginski