Morocco’s Ribab Fusion learned the traditional strummed music of their Amazigh (once known as Berber) culture, then decided to electrify it with keyboard, guitar, and bass—and infuse it with Roma, jazz fusion, funk, Afropop ,and prog-rock riffing. This seven-piece from the beach town of Agadir is led by Foulane Bouhssine, who hops about live while bowing his banjo-like ribab or his violin. Although his band likes to keep the tempos fast and arrangements busy, it balances pyrotechnics and call and response chants with occasional melancholy melodies. They will be joined by Khumariyaan, an instrumental combo from Peshawar, Pakistan, that features a lute-resembling rubab (which is different from a Moroccan ribab). Their approach, drawn from Pashtun ethnic techniques, is not flashy and multi-culti, but it’s not staid, either. Toss in two guitars and drums, and you have a frenetic Khyber Pass wall of sound. Sept. 16 at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Free.
Ribab Fusion
Sept. 16 at Kennedy Center Millennium Stage
