A magical world of global sounds comes alive when superstar Pakistani vocalist Zeb Bangash joins forces with a retinue of leading Brooklyn musicians led by klezmer clarinet virtuoso Michael Winograd in an upcoming CD release concert at the Ballroom at the Outer Space at 7 p.m. on May 8, 2016. Sandaraa is being hailed as “one of the most interesting and exciting things to happen in the New York music scene.” Featured on NPR and Tablet Magazine, Sandaraa is joined by Bridget Kearney and Benjamin Lazar Davis, who bring an African-infused singer-songwriter duo to the show.

The unexpected sounds of Sandaraa ("song" in Pashto) show how Eastern Europe the Indus Civilizations, and Central Asia connect. The melismatic might of modal music and the ringing grit of mountain songs combine with rollicking trance beats and restrained emotional intensity to find an eerie resonance despite surface differences. The band captivates audiences and fascinates listeners with their unique sound and inspired approach to musical and cultural synthesis.

Bangash and Winograd met when Bangash's former, wildly popular duo Zeb and Haniya played at the Pakistani Embassy as part of a US tour. The two hit it off, and they started trading ideas and links. When Bangash had a performance at NYU in Abu Dhabi, she invited Michael to collaborate. They spent hours listening to worn cassettes together, sessions that led them to songs like "Haatera Taiyga." "Everyone started dancing to it," Bangash recalls. "They couldn't stop." (broadwayworld.com)

The May 8 concert is the first on Sandaraa’s CD release tour of their new Eponymous album, and the ensemble will perform a number of new compositions supported by the MAP Fund, Chamber Music America, and the Puffin Foundation. They are joined for the tour by Bridget Kearney and Benjamin Lazar Davis, who Invisible Ink described as, "Captivating. Heavenly. Mesmerizing...world music as filtered through the prism of art rock, indie style."