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World in Community: Oud, Dombra, African Storytelling, and the Fusion of Chinese and American Music
By Mu Qian, Aug 2025
Since late May, the From Zayton to New York world music series has presented three concerts at Beef Up Noodle, a Chinese Muslim restaurant in Midtown Mahattan: Voice of the Mongols: Anand Avirmed, Moroccan Trance Music: Imal Gnawa, and An Afternoon with Rumi: Gabriel Akhmad Marin & Friends.
This is a monthly series showcasing the musical cultures of different immigrant communities in the U.S. Zayton is the ancient name of Quanzhou, a port city in China that serves as the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road. As a metaphor for global migration, From Zayton to New York encompasses any place between these two cities. For more about the concept behind this series, see my earlier article Why I'm Hosting World Music Shows In a Noodle Shop.
The fourth edition of the series, Arabic Oud music, will be held on September 6. It will feature Palestinian-American blind musician Ameer Armaly (oud) with Sarah Mueller (violin) and Angie Assal (percussion), presenting Arabic music from different periods: classical instrumental forms such as the samai and longa, whose origins trace back to the Ottoman era; vocal forms like the muwashah—a richly structured poetic and musical tradition that dates as far back as Andalusia; and popular instrumental compositions from the early 20th century. Improvisation—the cornerstone of the Arabic music tradition—will run throughout the program. (Ticket link: eventbrite)
The remaining concerts this year have also been planned. In October, Kewulay Kamara and his friends will present finaya from Sierra Leone, a story-telling tradition developed within the Mandeng cultural system of West Africa. Finaya recounts epics, genealogies, and moral tales, serving as a vital vehicle for community identity and spiritual values.
I started to hang out with a group of West African artists in New York two years ago. They come from culturally related countries such as Guinea, Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Burkina Faso. Music is essential at all of their gatherings, but it is usually heard only at community events. Through our concerts, we hope to introduce their music to a wider audience. This kind of cross-community exchange is exactly what we aim to do.
In November, From Zayton to New York will feature Chinese music for the first time—though with a twist: a creative encounter between Jiangnan sizhu (“silk and bamboo” music) and American old-time music. Jiangnan, the source of the Korean word Gangnam (as in Gangnam Style), literally means “south of the river” and refers to the region south of the lower Yangtze (Changjiang) River in China. Sizhu, or “silk and bamboo,” denotes silk-string instruments and bamboo flutes central to this ensemble tradition.
In the first half, pipa player Zhou Yi and bamboo flute player Miao Yimin will perform traditional Jiangnan sizhu pieces. Then American musicians Eli Hetko (banjo) and Jaden Gladstone (fiddle) will join them to reinterpret the silk and bamboo repertoire together. The second half will reverse the order: the two American musicians will begin with traditional old-time music, then the Chinese musicians will join in. Finally, there will be a bigger jam session where musicians from the audience, no matter what instruments they play, are welcome to join.
Though Jiangnan sizhu and old-time music come from two countries thousands of miles apart, they share many commonalities. Both use fixed melodies as the basis for ornamental variation, emphasizing ensemble interaction and the subtleties of improvisation. In addition, both are rooted in everyday community life and value participation over professionalized stage performance.
This special concert will embody our idea that From Zayton to New York not only presents diverse traditions but also fosters cultural fusion on an equal footing, creating sparks between the musics of different immigrant communities. It also reminds audiences that white Americans are themselves descendants of immigrants, and that old-time music is essentially a U.S. variant of European folk music.
The final concert of the year will take place in December, featuring Kazakh dombra music. Performers from Kazakhstan as well as American musicians will take part, reflecting the melting pot character of the U.S.: racial boundaries in music are much less rigid here, and anyone can play any music tradition. Yet in every concert of ours, musicians from the featured culture or region are always central.
From Zayton to New York is not a commercial stage. What we present here is music representing community cultures, and all performers are community-based musicians. Even well-known performers appear here simply as members of their communities. You can think of From Zayton to New York as a gathering space where each time a different family brings home-made dishes to share with everyone.
It was members of New York’s West African community who, after seeing our earlier events, proposed showcasing their music on this platform and even secured part of the funding through their own channels. I’m delighted that more and more community musicians are now reaching out to us—this shows we are on the right track.
From Zayton to New York is organized by the See & Sea Culture Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the world’s cultural heritage, in collaboration with Beef Up Noodle. Curator: Mu Qian; Producer: Shi Qianyi.
Follow See See Records on Instagram (@seeseerecords) or the Shengyinshi (声音史) video channel on WeChat for the latest updates about the series.