Abuko - Will Dudley, Michael Shay & Steven Skolnik

Kora, cello and drums!
Will Dudley on Kora (west African harp), Michael Shay on cello and Steven Skolnik on percussion. We fuse traditional kora tunes with our own sensibilities - composing songs in new time signatures and altered tunings. Michael and Steven bring their eclectic, improvisational musicality to the group, and Will brings his knowledge of and passion for west
African kora music.

Michael Shay has been the bandleader of multiple world-fusion, Americana, classical crossover and rock ensembles in both North and South America over the past twenty-five years. In addition to his earliest influences in Suzanne Vega, Robert Hunter and Townes Van Zandt, in his music you might also hear echos of Greg Brown, Neil Young, Gillian Welch, and even Leonard Cohen who once complimented him on a cover of Cohen's “Suzanne” in which Shay had altered a lyric, saying it was “a better line anyway!” Scott Law’s quick ear and keen knack for elevating the potency of any collaboration creates pathways for audience connection. Scott has played extensively with bassist Phil Lesh of The Grateful Dead, as well as Melvin Seals (Jerry Garcia Band), Darol Anger, Brokedown In Bakersfield, Cosmic Twang, Nicki Bluhm, Bob Weir, The String Cheese Incident, Aoife O’Donovan, Bill & Jilian Nershi, The Mother Hips, Peter Rowan, Tim Bluhm, The Travelin' McCourys, Keller Williams, Tony Furtado, Everyone Orchestra and many others. Ben Blechman is a versatile, classically trained 5-string fiddle player who plays in various jazz, swing, and Americana groups in the Portland area.

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