Global Sounds on the Hill Featuring Qais Essar & Sonny Singh in Concert: SANGAT

This event has passed

Curated and hosted by iconic DC impresario and musician Jim Thomson

Weaving together the ancient sound and haunting melodies of the rabab, a 2,500 year-old instrument from Afghanistan, with bold trumpet lines and anthemic Punjabi vocals, Qais and Sonny ground their music in ancestral wisdom and usher us into the future with their uplifting new sound. Drawing inspiration from hundreds of years old mystical poetry from the Sikh, Sufi, and radical bhakti traditions, their music centers oneness and connection in times of increasing division and hierarchy.  Sangat is not only a meeting of diverse musical and spiritual traditions, but also a reflection of using art as a vehicle for connection, resistance, and healing.  “Sangat is a term Sikhs use to refer to beloved community,” explains Singh. “We often use the term to refer to the congregation in a gurdwara [Sikh house of worship], but to me, sangat is something much broader. My beloved community transcends ethnic, religious and national boundaries.” Essar adds, “In this climate of increasing attacks on the marginalized, including the communities Sonny and I are a part of, we hope this new music inspires solidarity and unity.”

About Jim Thomson: Jim Thomson is an independent DIY music producer based in Washington DC who specializes in booking, live music production, artist management, DJ events, and record releases. In Washington DC he operates an ongoing live music series called Secret Planet DC that partners with various venues, foundations, and musicians all across the city to produce unique, intimate, and meaningful performances. He also owns and operates the Washington, DC-based boutique record label Electric Cowbell Records as well as holding down and curating all vinyl DJ residencies at The Green Zone, Cana, La Shukran, Daikaya, Le Mont Royal, Eaton Hotel, the DC Record Fair, and other bars and restaurants in the city.

Jim is also a lifelong musician and promoter, playing drums as a founding member of GWAR, The Alter-Natives (SST Records), Bio Ritmo, CSC Funk Band, Time Is Fire, and he currently plays drums and percussion with Motherf*ckers JMB & Co with Geologist from Animal Collective. One of the first concerts he co-promoted was a Bad Brains show in Richmond, Virginia in 1987 followed by years of concerts including surf guitar legend Dick Dale, Knitting Factory tours, Marc Ribot, Charles Gayle, Negativland, Medeski, Martin, and Wood, and many others.