Tarik & Julia present programs that integrate a holistic approach to Andalusian music combining Andalusi', Judeo-Spanish (Ladino) & Spanish Andalusian with contemporary compositions rooted in Andalusian legacy that embrace the multicultural world we live in today.
Tarik Banzi (Multi-instrumentalist). Tarik traces his roots back to Al-Andalus, Spain (711-1492). He was born to one of the old Andalusian families in Tetouan, Morocco and grew up immersed in the Andalusian musical tradition. He later lived in Madrid, Spain where he studied Fine Arts and moved in flamenco and jazz music circles. While finishing his doctoral studies in Fine Arts, he was collaborating with flamenco and jazz masters such as Paco de Lucia, Manolo Sanlúcar, Enrique Morente, Jorge Pardo & Carlos Benavent. Tarik composes and performs on the oud (parent of the guitar), the darbuka (clay or metal drum), the ney (reed flute), bass, banjo and percussion.
Julia Banzi Ph.D (flamenco guitar, viola, percussion) lived Andalucia, Spain where she studied flamenco guitar with some of Spain's finest guitarists including Manolo Sanlúcar, Isidro Muñoz, Felipe Maya, Juan Maya “Marote” David Serva & Rafael Morales. She is one of the few female flamenco guitarists worldwide. Julia and Tarik met in Madrid where they founded the Al-Andalus ensemble (www.Andalus.com). Later, Julia immersed herself in ethnomusicology studies. She holds a Masters and Doctorate degree in Ethnomusicology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar and currently teaches guitar at Reed College.
Academic Research: As an ethnomusicologist Julia is especially interested in constructing historical ethnographies—that is seeking ways in understanding how the long past influences and shapes present musical changes. The two main geographic areas she explores are North Africa and Spain. Her special interest is the melding of varied cultures converging in Al-Andalus (711-1492). In Morocco, her focus is on women’s Andalusian ensembles. In Spain, she focuses on the flamenco guitar tradition and the processes of when, why, and how performance traditions become obsolete. She has taught a wide range of courses on World Music, American popular music and culture as well as the business of music and music technology.
Artist, composer and one of a very few female flamenco guitarists worldwide, her work reflects her over twenty years of living, studying and performing in North Africa and Spain.