Illinois State University’s Concerts on the Quad series continues with folk band, Ameranouche (pronounced uh-Mare-uh-noosh), on Monday, July 10.
The current trio from New England has been playing together for about four and a half years; however the band has been around since 2004. Current members include Richard Sheppard on guitar, Michael Harrist on upright bass, and Jack Soref on guitar. The group first met in Boston and has since then performed all over the United States, including at the Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island where they received a standing ovation.
The group brings a unique “gypsy flamenco swing” style with influences from Miles Davis, Django Reinhardt, and even Claude Debussy. This summer, the group has been performing a variety of large shows around the United States and is enjoying every minute of it. Being largely influenced by jazz, Sheppard says their genre is “Pretty self-explanatory, having more of a world familiarity instead of focusing on one particular style of jazz. It is European, Mediterranean, U.S. jazz, and flamenco all in one flow.”
Listen here for a sampling of the music of Ameranouche.
The trio Ameranouche. Photo courtesy of the artists.
The Concerts on the Quad series continues through the month of July with the April Verch Band on July 17, Singing Under the Stars on July 24, and an Evening of Jazz on July 31.
All Concerts begin at 7 p.m. and are free and open to the public. Concerts take place on the east side of Cook Hall and concertgoers should bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating.
The Concerts on the Quad series is presented by the Illinois State University College of Fine Arts and School of Music and in conjunction with the Illinois Shakespeare Festival and The Pantagraph, and is sponsored by the Mirza Fund of the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation, Fell Trust, and Town of Normal Harmon Arts Grant Program.
