Alive from the dead

Mickey Hart and Bembe Orisha

Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall

Tomorrow,…

Mickey Hart and Bembe Orisha

Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall

Tomorrow, 8 p.m.

$25 in advance

All ages

(412) 391-3353

Feverish drumming and noodle dancing will ensue as Mickey Hart and Bembe Orisha roll into town tonight for one of a series of concerts sponsored by Calliope, the Pittsburgh Folk Music Society.

Bembe Orisha is a band of eight musicians assembled by Hart, which include percussionists, vocalists, a guitarist and a bassist. It comprises Persian, Nigerian, Cuban, and South African-born, as well as American-born musicians, according to Mhart.com, and produces an organic and often haunting array of sound.

Hart, who was responsible for half of the Grateful Dead’s distinctive percussion, added to the distinct beats and improvisation that made the Dead’s performances the canon for subsequent neo-hippie live acts. Hart’s drumming is derived mainly from African, Middle Eastern and Caribbean culture.

According to Allmusic.com, Mickey Hart joined the Grateful Dead as a second percussionist in 1967, left to record a solo album, Rolling Thunder, in 1972, and later rejoined the Dead in 1974.

Bembe Orisha also features the talents of percussionist Greg Ellis, a self-taught musician who was so inspired by Hart’s book, Drumming at the Edge of Magic, that he decided to abandon his conventional style of drumming with sticks and attempt hand-drumming, while working with many international musicians.

Ellis also formed the group Vas with vocalist Azam Ali, who then both joined Bembe Orisha. Ellis also recently released a solo album along with Ali and several other musicians titled Kala Rupa.

If you’re seeking refuge from the chill of fall, Mickey Hart and Bembe Orisha’s thunderous rhythms will surely provide it, along with an enjoyable evening.