Schimmel Center at Pace University continues its 2018-19 Folk Series with the South Carolina quintet Ranky Tanky on Sunday, March 10, 2019 at 7:30pm. Specializing in fusing traditional Gullah music with jazz, blues, gospel, and R&B, the band's eponymous debut album hit #1 on the Billboard, iTunes, and Amazon Jazz Charts. Tickets start at $19 and can be purchased at SchimmelCenter.org, by phone at 212-346-1715, or by visiting the Schimmel Center Box Office at 3 Spruce Street, Manhattan. Box office hours are Tuesday-Saturday, Noon-5pm, and then beginning three hours prior to each performance, through intermission.
"Combining revered Gullah kinship with a jazz sensibility, Ranky Tanky
accentuates the spirituality connected to the ring shouts and praise houses, proposing a modern rendition of their ancestral music."
- All About Jazz
Gullah, which comes from West African language and means "a people blessed by God," refers to the descendants of West African slaves who now live in the coastal regions and Sea Islands of South Carolina and Georgia. In the Gullah language, which has approximately 125 thousand speakers in the American South, the expression "ranky tanky" translates loosely as "Get Funky!" It is in this spirit that Ranky Tanky keeps the traditions of Gullah music alive, from playful children's game songs and ecstatic shouts to heartbreaking spirituals and delicate lullabies.
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The band formed in 2016 when South Carolina natives Quentin Baxter (drums, percussion), Clay Ross (guitar, vocals), Charlton Singleton (trumpet, vocals), and Kevin Hamilton (bass) reunited after 20 years apart with a deeper understanding of their Charleston musical roots. The idea to form a band focusing on Gullah music came when the group joined with gospel, pop, and R&B singer Quiana Parler.
They released their self-titled debut album in late 2017, which was praised by Afropop as "one of the greatest gifts of the year, an incredible piece of work overflowing with authenticity." Within a few months of the release, the album soared to the #1 position on the Billboard, iTunes, and Amazon Jazz Charts. www.rankytanky.com.
