The New Standards with special guest Rahim AlHaj

Show Description

Rahim AlHaj is a virtuoso oud musician and composer. Born in Baghdad, Iraq, he has studied under the likes of renowned Munir Bashir, considered by many to be the greatest oud player ever, and Salim Abdul Kareem.  Rahim has garnered many accolades and awards, most recently a 2008 Grammy Nomination for Best Traditional World Music Album.

Delicately combining traditional Iraqi maqams (system of melodic modes) with contemporary styling and influence, "the predominantly microtonal interpretations exude a trancelike, meditative quality. AlHaj’s personal renderings are nothing if not freewheeling, much like those of his internationally celebrated teacher, Munir Bachir.... Alhaj’s solo playing retains its hypnotic bent while slipping in and out of countable time, and periodically seems completely without meter....At its most futuristic, AlHaj’s music could be said to have parallels with the blues. His original compositions would never be mistaken for folk music, but provide a solid foundation for his mesmeric solo flights." - Time Out New York 

"As a trio, [The New Standards] have made a practice of dressing up punk and pop classics — "I Will Dare" by the Replacements gets a place in the pantheon — in jazz arrangements that overlay piano, upright bass and vibraphone...The DNA of the band and its members has its feet firmly rooted into punk/pop culture. Mr. Poling was the pianist and leader of the Suburbs, a seminal haute punk band from Minneapolis that may not have landed nationally, but more than held its own in a musical context that included Hüsker Dü, Soul Asylum and the Replacements. "  - NY Times

John Munson of Trip Shakespeare/Semisonic fame, Chan Poling, founder of the haute-punk new-wave group The Suburbs, and Steve Roehm, vibraphonist extraordinaire, got together with a plan to play and sing their favorite songs – naked. Well, the musicians are clothed, but the aesthetic is raw simplicity, communication and soul. The song selections span the twentieth century. Each song must be someone’s favorite and each arrangement must bring something new to the song. In an age of digital overkill, The New Standards keep the instrumentation simple. Poling on piano, Roehm on vibraphone and Munson on double bass. Chan and John split the singing. If that’s not enough, a footstomp here, a shout-out, a fiery solo, and it’s cooked. Simple, elegant, illuminating.

This Event is Part of the Joe’s Pub 10th Anniversary Celebration