Sound Waves Heimlich Maneuvers

By ROB DEWALT

I didn’t remember how deathly afraid of heights I was until I looked down. There I was, sitting in the death basket — I mean chairlift — at last weekend’s Oktoberfest celebration at Taos Ski Valley, with nothing to prevent me from going “splat” against the mountainside below except a latchless safety bar that might as well have been made out of a bendy drinking straw. Having already downed a few Bavarian lagers for courage (and a $9.50 bratwurst to avoid having to eat my chairlift companions if the lift operator left us dangling), I figured this ride was gonna be a breeze. The ride up was. The ride down — not so much.

The only thing that kept me from slipping into a panic and leaping toward certain death was the faint sound of music in the distance. Up from the base of the mountain rose the bulky, obnoxious “toot” of my least favorite instrument on the planet: the tuba. As it grew louder, I grew less hysterical, because I knew the ride would end soon. Oh, heavenly oom-pah music, you never sounded so damn sweet. But I still hate you.

I don’t hate all German music, though. Take, for example, 17 Hippies, a 14-year-old Berlin-based ensemble that performs at 7:20 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 19, as part of Globalquerque!, the annual two- day world music celebration held at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque (1701 Fourth St. S.W., 505-724-4771). The group — which doesn’t always have 17 people in it and doesn’t seem to have much of a hippie air about it, either — draws from a deep and varied musical toy chest. Not satisfied with one particular genre, 17 Hippies blends multiple styles to create something completely unique to European music. Combining Balkan and French folk with jazz, German pop, klezmer, and just a touch of American bluegrass and zydeco, 17 Hippies sounds less like world music and more like melancholy alt-pop that dares to cross borders — without oozing the global, New Agey kitsch that surrounds many international acts (sorry, Gipsy Kings). It’s like a Cirque du Soleil performance inside your ear canal — without the scary clowns and half-naked aerialists. The band’s latest album, Heimlich (2007, Buda Musique), features songs in English, French, and German, and many of the album’s lyrics are available in English on the band’s Web site (17hippies.de).

Another standout act at Globalquerque! this year is London-based Israeli singer Mor Karbasi. Singing in Spanish, Hebrew, English, and the Judeo-Spanish language known as Ladino, Karbasi’s voice is as hypnotizing and beautiful as fellow Israeli Ofra Haza’s was. In contrast with Haza, though, who favored Western electronic rhythms, a soft acoustic mix of Andalusian and Moroccan styles accompanies Karbasi’s soprano range. Karbasi performs at 9:20 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 19, at the NHCC Fountain Courtyard. And don’t miss a performance by the always-funky Mexican Institute of Sound (aka Camilo Lara). At 9:20 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20, a dub- and house- infused exploration of Latin rhythms and melodies makes its way to the Fountain Courtyard.

For adults, two-day passes are $60, one-day passes are $35; for those 12 and under, it’s $30 for a two-day pass, $17.50 for a one- day pass. Tickets are available at the National Hispanic Cultural Center box office. Throughout the festival, more than 15 acts perform on three stages. A Global Village offers “craft, culture, and cuisine,” and during the day on Saturday, Sept. 20, everyone is invited to enjoy free educational programs, kids’ activities, and dance classes. For a full schedule of events, visit globalquerque.com/schedule.html. — Rob DeWalt

(c) 2008 The Santa Fe New Mexican. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.