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The Picasso Commissions
The Picasso Commissions is a collection of new solo cello pieces written for Marika by friends/colleagues, including: Eyvind Kang, Charlie Burnham, Dina Maccabee, Nasheet Waits, Shahzad Ismaily, Carla Kihlstedt, Abraham Burton, Jenny Scheinman, Raz Mesinai and Todd Sickafoose. The pieces are being recorded throughout 2009 and a 2010 release is imminent.
Building Buildings
This is the working title for a series of songs Marika has written. She is currently recording these songs with Kyle Sanna, producer/guitarist; Mathias Kunzli, drums/percussion; Todd Sickafoose, bass; Shahzad Ismaily, guitar; and Marika, cello & voice.
Hidden City
A guitar/bass/cello/violin quartet fronted with vocals by violinist Charlie Burnham, Hidden City puts soulful, gospel-inflected vocals over sublime acoustic arrangements. The group plays Charlie's original tunes as well as a sprinkling of some old standards. The finishing touches are being put on the recording the band made. The group includes Charlie Burnham, violin, voice; Marvin Sewell, guitar; Dom Richards, bass; Marika Hughes, cello/voice.
Charming Hostess
Charming Hostess is a whirl of eerie harmony, hot rhythm and radical braininess. Our music explores the intersection of text and the sounding body -- complex ideas expressed physically, based on voice and vocal percussion, handclaps and heartbeats, sex-breath and silence. We live where diasporas collide, incorporating piyyutim and Pygmy counterpoint, doo-wop and niggunim, work songs and Torah chanting.
2 Foot Yard
2 Foot Yard - (n.) 1. a very small urban garden in which things grow organically, both feeding off of and defying their greater context. 2. a short-changed measurement.
Borrowed Arms, the most recent CD by 2 Foot Yard, has been critically embraced by reviewers, saying "...every tune is magic: the melodies crystalline, the harmonies supple and complex, the rhythms offbeat and groove-deep." (Sam Prestianni, SF Weekly). A threesome whose palette includes voice, violin, cello, guitar and drums, 2 Foot Yard combines the harmonic breadth of contemporary classical music with the spontaneity of improvisation and the transparency and clarity of pop music. Their newest program, in Bloom, blends the rich timbres and elegance of a chamber ensemble with the contemporary vitality of the 2 Foot Yard songbook. The trio will work in residency with professional and student groups to create an energetic and evocative performance including arrangements of songs from Borrowed Arms. 2 Foot Yard is: Carla Kihlstedt, violin/voice; Marika Hughes, cello/voice; Shahzad Ismaily, drums/percussion/guitar/voice.