Siem Reap Rocks
May 23rd, 2008 by Jinja
Our second day in Siem Reap found us sleeping in late. No complaints, we’d had an eventful evening. Jet, Melanie and Idea Czar had mooted a gig to Renaud the night before and he was game – so that afternoon Abacus Cafe texted the known universe that something was on.
Was it ever. We had a PA system, and the performers had to scramble to get lyrics and setlists together. But as twilight fell, things were starting to shape up. Melanie dubbed their impromptu ensemble “The Man From Tripoli”. And the circus folks were still here, so after some discussion (thanks to some translation from Multivore) a game plan was sorted. Paul (Hidden Cambodia) and Diana (Bloom) joined us for dinner, and next thing you know, it was showtime!
Idea Czar started things up, the musicians from the Keita Fodeba troupe seamlessly inserted themselves into his set and things really took off.
After that, Melanie did a solo set (‘The Man From Tripoli’) -
and playing on that note, I introduced the Jet set as ‘The Woman From Tripoli’.
Then it was time for Centre d’Art Acrobatique Keita Fodeba to take the stage with a little backing from Jet and Idea Czar. Their infectious enthusiasm helped make even the simplest tune into something new and fun. Given that they’d come halfway around the world to share their culture, it makes sense they didn’t waste any time getting their groove on.
By this time the dance floor was full, and when time came to wind down, it was pretty late. An incredible impromptu evening.
More: Writeup: http://ideaczar.net
Listen: http://traffic.libsyn.com/slugdog/Oh_Dear.mp3
Look: http://tinyurl.com/6hcpuu
