Janam ( My Soul ) blends Balkan, Near Eastern and American roots music, creating rapturous acoustic textures, whirling rhythms and stunning vocal harmonies. Led by Kitka Women’s Vocal Ensemble veteran Juliana Graffagna, Janam unites some of the Bay Area’s most imaginative and devoted players of Balkan and Near Eastern music, who weave together Eastern exoticism, gritty Appalachian folk melodies and their own inspired compositions.

JULIANA GRAFFAGNA,VOCALS, ACCORDION

SHIRA KAMMEN, VIOLIN, VOCALS

GARI HEGEDUS, OUD, MANDOCELLO, SAZ, VIOLIN

TOM FARRIS, LAUTO, PERCUSSION

DAN AUVIL, PERCUSSION

“An innovative ensemble that explores a dizzying range of styles, from Appalachia and Asia Minor to Eastern Europe. They play swirling, hard-driving music that always seems to end up in unexpected places.”

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE