Tamara Colletta Brown, better known as Tamar-kali, is an American rock singer-songwriter and composer based in Brooklyn, New York.
19 Facts About Tamar-kali
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Tamar-kali was born and raised in Brooklyn, a second-generation musician through her father, who was a band leader and played bass and drums in local funk and soul bands.
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Tamar-kali's father had studied with Keter Betts in Harlem, and her great-uncle is singer Archie Bell.
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Tamar-kali grew up with an eclectic appreciation for music with influences from home and choral classical training at school.
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Tamar-kali learned to play guitar and bass, and was mostly self-taught.
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Tamar-kali teaches and has become very involved in the North African dance art form Raqs Sharqi as well as Middle Eastern Belly Dance.
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Tamar-kali rose to prominence starring in James Spooner's award-winning documentary Afro-Punk.
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Tamar-kali has shared the stage with Paramore, Roger Waters, Meshell Ndegeocello and The Roots.
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Tamar-kali has shared the stage with Dub War, Joi, Carl Hancock Rux, Cassandra Wilson, Saul Williams, The Dirtbombs, Jean Grae and Earl Greyhound.
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Tamar-kali has performed in such venues as Brooklyn Academy of Music and Lincoln Center, sometimes paying tribute to Nina Simone, Betty Davis and Odetta.
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Tamar-kali was the Musical Director for the Black Rock Coalition's Tribute to Nina Simone which held concerts in New York City as well as Paris and the South of France.
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In 2006 Tamar-kali released her first music video for the single "Boot" off her debut EP Geechee Goddess Hardcore Warrior Soul.
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In 2018, Tamar-kali created the multi-disciplinary project Demon Fruit Blues for Harlem Stage WaterWorks, during a residency at Mabou Mines in New York City where the work premiered.
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The first feature film that Tamar-kali scored was Rees' Mudbound, for which Tamar-kali won the World Soundtrack Award in the Discovery of the Year category.
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For Pariah, Tamar-kali sang a cover of Gossip's "Fire With Fire" for the ending credits.
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For Bessie, Tamar-kali provided a few songs on the soundtrack including her own vocals, as well as performing with her band in one of the scenes.
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Tamar-kali has since scored other feature films including Come Sunday, The Lie, The Assistant, and Shirley.
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In 2020 Tamar-kali composed the score to Rees' adaptation of Joan Didion's The Last Thing He Wanted, as well the score for Dawn Porter's documentary John Lewis: Good Trouble.
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Tamar-kali composed the score for the 2023 documentary Little Richard: I Am Everything.