Ammon News - AMMAN - Do not let their simplicity, their great sense of humour and their cool, relaxed attitude on stage deceive you. The music of 17 Hippies is anything but easy or loose. It is precise and tight, the kind that only genuine talent, experience and hard work can produce.

The German group is coming to Amman to perform on the occasion celebrating the 20th anniversary of the fall of Berlin Wall, on November 9, that exact day in 1989 when the wall was brought down. It also occurs within the scope of the European Film Festival in Jordan. The event is the initiative of the dynamic French Cultural Centre in cooperation with the German embassy and also with the support of the European Delegation Commission. It will take place at Al Hussein Cultural Centre, Ras Al Ain, at 20:00.

Raw energy, impeccable timing and a musical style that is an excellent vintage mixture of pop, folk and rock, aiming shamelessly at seducing the listeners and even at making them get up and dance joyfully, 17 Hippies certainly are a different, a unique breed.

In 14 years together the band has given 1,500 concerts in 20 countries. Their style is particularly effective in live performance. It’s the kind of band that cannot stand still on stage - the very antidote to boredom and monotony.

Apart from Germany where they come from, 17 Hippies are particularly popular in France. Interestingly and despite their infectious, hard to resist rhythms, the group does not have a standard drummer. The beat and the rhythms are generated by the bass, the string instruments and various percussion.

There are several video clips on YouTube where 17 Hippies can be seen in action and that will make any sensible person feel like wanting to see them live. One of their most amazing instrumental numbers, “Bourrée dite d’Aurore Sand”, features stunning accordion and horn parts. The band plays acoustic, not electric instruments, typically.

Through the years, the lineup has varied between 13 and 20 musicians. Currently 17 Hippies are 13: Antje Henkel on clarinet, saxophone, Daniel Cordes on bass, Christopher Blenkinsop on ukulele, bouzouki, vocals, Daniel Friedrichs on violin, Dirk Trageser on guitar, vocals, Elmar Gutmann on trumpet, Henry Notroff on clarinet, Kerstin Kaernbach on violin, Kiki Sauer on accordion, harmonium, vocals, Kruisko on accordion, Lüül on banjo, guitar, Rike Lau on cello, vocals, Uwe Langer on trombone, euphonium.

The opening act for the concert will be the celebrated Jordanian band Sign of Thyme, led by Yacoub Abu Ghosh on bass, with Ahmad Barakat on ‘oud, Nasir Salameh on percussion, Tareq Abu Kweik on drums and Abed Dukhan on violin. Sign of Thyme plays an eclectic, original blend of fusion, jazz and Arabic music. Talking to the Jordan Times Abu Ghosh stressed the fact that his band’s essential trait was absolute freedom in musical expression. He added that there is a possibility that they will be playing a few numbers with 17 Hippies and look forward to it.



* Jean-Claude Elias/ The Jordan TImes