Music
Press
Hannabiell sells excitement by the djembefull and the customers buy it with enthusiastic applause. The routine, as always, begins with the bubbly Afro/American/Adopted Geordie pounding away on the djembe creating the most complex and compelling, frenzied, rhythmic, patterns then, just as we think the ultimate has been reached, on comes Suriel to increase the tension!
OMG! this is unbearable!
One by one the others augment the duo until all 7 are collectively contributing to the marvellous musical mayhem.
The adrenalin, like the music, goes round and round and you hope there are some first aiders on standby as this is but a few beats away from a heart attack! What a way to go! This is better than sex (well almost).
The dance floor fills up and soon the bodies are gyrating in front of the stand. Trombone replaces djembe and whoosh! we're off on another trip - down the Mississippi, up the Zambezi River flying beyond the moon (it's not high enough) and off on a journey into space. Graham Hardy goes along as co-pilot his clean sound complementing Hannabiell's streetwise trombone.
Stu Collingwood, still in the groove from Thursday at the Corner House, provides the premium grade fuel for the accelerando and the guys on bass, drums and percussion, along with Yilis, put the boot in.
Somewhere along the way a lovely lady pitches in with a vocal and this is as good as it gets - or is it?
With this band you never know where it will end! - Bebop Spoken Here
Hannabiell sells excitement by the djembefull and the customers buy it with enthusiastic applause. The routine, as always, begins with the bubbly Afro/American/Adopted Geordie pounding away on the djembe creating the most complex and compelling, frenzied, rhythmic, patterns then, just as we think the ultimate has been reached, on comes Suriel to increase the tension!
OMG! this is unbearable!
One by one the others augment the duo until all 7 are collectively contributing to the marvellous musical mayhem.
The adrenalin, like the music, goes round and round and you hope there are some first aiders on standby as this is but a few beats away from a heart attack! What a way to go! This is better than sex (well almost).
The dance floor fills up and soon the bodies are gyrating in front of the stand. Trombone replaces djembe and whoosh! we're off on another trip - down the Mississippi, up the Zambezi River flying beyond the moon (it's not high enough) and off on a journey into space. Graham Hardy goes along as co-pilot his clean sound complementing Hannabiell's streetwise trombone.
Stu Collingwood, still in the groove from Thursday at the Corner House, provides the premium grade fuel for the accelerando and the guys on bass, drums and percussion, along with Yilis, put the boot in.
Somewhere along the way a lovely lady pitches in with a vocal and this is as good as it gets - or is it?
With this band you never know where it will end! - Bebop Spoken Here
Discography
2012, "With Us"
Photos
Bio
This high energy ensemble is nothing less than exhilarating as it fuses together Afro-Caribbean & Latin percussion, Jazz, Afro-beat, Funk, and Reggae to create their unique sound. The music created from this fusion is an organic blend of powerful and upbeat drums, brass, vocal chants, and mbira compositions which not only produces an invigorating party atmosphere, it also summons audience participation.
In the North East, they have created a buzz performing at venues such as the Sage Gateshead, Hoochie Coochie, The Cluny, Head of Steam, Live Theatre, The Queens Hall Arts Center in Hexham, and have also performed in Durham, London, Oxford, Sheffield, and Birmingham. This year they will be featured in both the ¡Vamos Festival! in Newcastle and the Brass Festival in Durham. The most common response after a performance is that the viewer has "never heard anything like this!" Hannabiell & Midnight Blue released their debut album “With Us” in March 2012 and will release their second album entitled “Protest Culture” in the Summer 2013.
Hannabiell & Midnight Blue is committed to playing music that aid in breaking down personal and cultural barriers. The ensemble's diverse membership is a direct reflection of it's diverse fan base and audience attendance. The performances never fail to convey the band’s passion for equality and social change and believes that “The power to unite humanity and make peace rests within art forms that break stereotypes and brings diverse communities together.” -Hannabiell Sanders
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