Cal Poly Arts presents RANKY TANKY in concert. This Charleston, South Carolina-based quintet performs timeless music of Gullah culture born in the southeastern Sea Island region of the United States, mixing low country traditions with large doses of jazz, gospel, funk, and R&B.
“Gullah” comes from West African language and means “a people blessed by God.” “Ranky Tanky” translates loosely as “Work It,” or “Get Funky!” From playful game songs to ecstatic shouts, from heartbreaking spirituals to delicate lullabies, the musical roots of Charleston are “rank” and fertile ground from which these contemporary artists are grateful to have grown.
“Ranky Tanky sings old Gullah songs – some of them sly moral lessons – in arrangements that connect their beat to a New Orleans lilt.” – New York Times
A pre-show lecture will be led by SLO Co. Medical Examiner Dr. Joye Carter and Cal Poly lecturer Alicia Moretti in the PAC Pavilion, beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Student and adult tickets are $35.20 and $44, respectively.
This evening is sponsored by Kathleen Enz Finken & Gerald Finken, KCBX 90.1 FM, Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) and the National Endowment for the Arts