Balkan, Middle Eastern, and American folk music at Cambridge Thursday

The Neighborhood Concert Series at Powers Music School presents “Jeni Jol: Otto-Americana,” at the Citywide Senior Center, 806 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, on Thursday, March 26, 1:00 pm.

Powers faculty member Tev Stevig, fretless nylon string guitar, steel string guitar, and banjo, with guest artist Brian O’Neill, percussion. Jeni Jol (“New Path” in Macedonian) is the brainchild of Tev Stevig, who has been exploring the potential of playing the fretless nylon string guitar in the clawhammer style. Clawhammer, or frailing, is associated with old-time American folk music played on the banjo, but Tev has been using this uniquely American playing style on the fretless guitar to arrive at new arrangements of his favorite tunes from the Balkans, Greece, and Turkey, as well as some orginal material. There is a simplicity to the clawhammer style, that when combined with the intriguing dance rhythms of the Balkans, brings a dance-like rhythmic drive to the music. By combining Balkan, Middle Eastern, and American traditions, Tev hopes to create a new folk music that is both listenable and danceable, while paying deep respect to all of his cultural and musical influences.

Read more about the faculty concert series at www.powersmusic.org/faculty_concerts.

The Neighborhood Concert Series is free to attend, and is supported in part by East Boston Savings Bank and grants from the Cambridge Arts Council and Waltham Cultural Council, local agencies supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.