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Community Corner

Music From Around the World Comes to New Rochelle Library

The duo played music from Italy, China, Russia, Spain, and the Middle East.

It’s unusual to see two people playing the same guitar, but husband and wife duo Mark Levesque and Judy Handler have got it down to a science.

“I try very hard not to bump her in the face,” said Levesque. “That’s the hardest part of the song.”

The two brought their “Rhythms of the World” concert to the New Rochelle Public Library’s Ossie Davis Theater Sunday. The set list consisted of songs from different cultures from around the world.

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While Levesque mainly used the mandolin throughout the concert, he joined Handler on the guitar during the final song “Swallows Flying” so that they could play together.

“It’s a crowd favorite,” Levesque said.

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The set list included “The Lonely Accordian,” a Russian waltz; “Malagueña,” a flamenco-style song from Spain, and “Tarantella,” an Italian song with a 6/8 time signature.

Two songs of Jewish descent were played during the concert. The first of the songs was “Los Bilbilicos,” a song that originated from Spain in the 1400s. “Meron Nign,” the last of the two, had a more Middle Eastern sound.

Levesque explains how a simple chord change can affect what culture a song is from.

“Each culture either uses a different rhythm or scale,” he said. “A song from China has a different scale than a song from the Middle East.”

To create the Asian sound in the Chinese song “Spring Breeze,” two notes are removed from the scale. To play an Arabic song, two notes are changed to flats, creating an entirely new scale.

When asked which song from the set list was his favorite, Levesque had a hard time choosing.

“I love them all,” he said. “Whether I’m playing a Beatles song or an Italian song, I just love playing music.”

Damien Germino of New Rochelle highly enjoyed the concert.

“I think world music is invigorating,” he said. “I love hearing the scales skip around.”

“Swallows Flying” was Germino’s favorite of the concert.

“It was cool seeing them play on the same guitar,” he said.

The duo is no stranger to the New Rochelle Public Library. Barbara Davis, the community relations coordinator for the library, has invited them back every year since their first performance five years ago.

“I saw how beautifully they connected to the audience,” she said. “They never fail to impress me.”

Levesque and Handler have performed over 1,500 shows together across the Northeast and Midwest.

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