Friday, March 30, 2012

Michel Bismut — Ur

I recently came across this album, a nicely balanced mixing of jazz and Arabic music.  Somewhat reminiscent of Rabih Abou-Khalil's music, but with more emphasis on traditional Arabic elements, especially with the oud playing.  I can't seem to find out much about the musicians.  Anyone know about them? I particularly enjoy the playing of Pardo and Nabil Khalidi.

 Michel Bismut (double bass), Jorge Pardo (soprano saxophone), Nabil Khalidi (oud), Keyvan Chemirani (zarb, daf, gatam)







Thursday, March 29, 2012

Nadim — Rabih Abou Khalil Sheet Music

Here's another one by Rabih Abou-Khalil.  This is from al-Jadida (roughly, "the new thing"), the first album I ever heard of his. Enjoy!



 

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Myriam Fares Shou B7eb

Best Arabic Music: The Arabic Music blog presents Maryam Fares in her beautiful song Shou B7eb. Listen to the best Arabic music, songs and video clips on Youtube by top Arabic singers and musicians.


More of Myriam Faris Songs: 

Myriam Fares - Ha'aliq Rahtak
Myriam Fares - Moukanoh Wein
Myriam Fares-Ghamarni with english subtitles
Maryam Fares - Ahebak Heyel
Myriam Fares - Wahishny Eh
Talah Habibi
Myriam Faris - Ya Alem Belhal (English subtitle

Save and share Shou B7eb for Myriam Fares

Want to share this song with your family and friends? Click the button below to send them an email or save this to your favorite social network.

Myriam Fares Shou B7eb

Best Arabic Music: The Arabic Music blog presents Maryam Fares in her beautiful song Shou B7eb. Listen to the best Arabic music, songs and video clips on Youtube by top Arabic singers and musicians.


More of Myriam Faris Songs: 

Myriam Fares - Ha'aliq Rahtak
Myriam Fares - Moukanoh Wein
Myriam Fares-Ghamarni with english subtitles
Maryam Fares - Ahebak Heyel
Myriam Fares - Wahishny Eh
Talah Habibi
Myriam Faris - Ya Alem Belhal (English subtitle

Save and share Shou B7eb for Myriam Fares

Want to share this song with your family and friends? Click the button below to send them an email or save this to your favorite social network.

Myriam Fares - Ha'aliq Rahtak

The Arabic Music blog presents Myriam Fares -  Ha'aliq Rahtak  . Enjoy the best Arabic music and video songs by the best Arabic singers.


More of Myriam Faris Songs: 

Myriam Fares - Moukanoh Wein
Myriam Fares-Ghamarni with english subtitles

Save and share Ha'aliq Rahtak for Myriam Fares

Want to share this song with your family and friends? Click the button below to send them an email or save this to your favorite social network.

Myriam Fares - Ha'aliq Rahtak

The Arabic Music blog presents Myriam Fares -  Ha'aliq Rahtak  . Enjoy the best Arabic music and video songs by the best Arabic singers.


More of Myriam Faris Songs: 

Myriam Fares - Moukanoh Wein
Myriam Fares-Ghamarni with english subtitles

Save and share Ha'aliq Rahtak for Myriam Fares

Want to share this song with your family and friends? Click the button below to send them an email or save this to your favorite social network.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Bill Frisell — The Intercontinentals

Bill Frisell is a unique musician, and probably the most immediately identifiable jazz guitarist of the past 30 years. He is constantly exploring new ensemble sounds and The Intercontinentals is a group that he put together to showcase the sounds of Africa and the middle east. Christos Govetas is a Greek oud player from Macedonia who plays in the Turkish style.

I guess this is another one that doesn't qualify as "Arabic", but I bend the rules for any jazz with oud. This is a really good album, one that appeals to a wide range of people. Frisell reportedly conceived the project as a collaboration with legendary Malian guitarist Boubacar Traore, but unfortunately it was not possible to make the record with him. They are joined by violinist Jenny Scheinmann, Brazilian guitarist Vinicius Canturia, and Malian percussionist Sidiki Camara, as well as slide guitarist Greg Leisz.




Monday, March 26, 2012

Marcel Khalife — Taqasim

Marcel Khalife needs no introduction to those familiar with the oud. A masterful player, composer, singer, and songwriter, he has contributed much to the world of Arabic music and oud playing. This album, a straightforward trio with bass and percussion, showcases the oud and the jazzier side of his playing in a stripped-down acoustic setting. Highly recommended.




Sunday, March 25, 2012

Souren Baronian — Taksim

Souren Baronian is a tremendously talented Armenian-American clarinetist with extensive experience in both middle-eastern music and jazz. While his middle-eastern jazz music has influences primarily from Turkey and Armenia, and therefore isn't "Arabic jazz" exactly, I felt that the kinship of maqam-based music made it worthy of mention here. He studied with the reclusive jazz legend Lennie Tristano as well as the respected Turkish master Safet Gundeger, and has performed with many jazz greats like Carla Bley, Phil Woods, Paul Motian.

 He leads Taksim, his group that presents an original synthesis of jazz and eastern music. Their album from 2002 "Blue Algae" is worth a listen for Boronian's unique compositional and playing styles, as well as the masterful musicians in the group like the phenomenal oud player Haig Manoukian.
 


In addition, he performs in ensemble that have a somewhat more traditional approach, like his trio Transition, which released a wonderful album called Desert Winds.
 

فيروز - يوم ويومين وجمعه

فيروز - سعيدة يسعد مساكم - برنامج حكاية الاسوارة

فيروز - قالوا العدا - برنامج ضيعة الاغاني

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Rabih Abou Khalil Sheet Music — Nightfall

Rabih Abou-Khalil was the first oud player I ever heard. The first year or so after I started playing the oud, I transcribed a ton of his tunes. I led a kind of "tribute" band for a while in New Orleans that focused on playing his music. I'm going to post some of them here occasionally. This one is “Nightfall” off his album Between Dusk and Dawn. It uses the Sama'i Thaqil rhythm, but doesn't adhere to the traditional Sama'i form.






You can get the mp3 album from Amazon:


Gord Grdina

Gord Grdina is a talented jazz guitarist, oud player and composer from Vancouver, B.C.
He has a bunch of records which feature different aspects of his playing and writing.

One of the most notable is Think Like the Waves, recorded in 2006.  Grdina wrote all the music, and plays guitar and oud alongside the legendary jazz musicians Gary Peacock and Paul Motian.
Peacock is best known as the longstanding bassist in Keith Jarrett's “Standards” trio, while Motian led a number of groups in NY over the years after gaining notoriety with Bill Evans' trio with Scott LaFaro.

Grdina is adventurous—this music, while informed by tradition, is at least equally influenced by jazz musicians like Paul Bley, Bill Frisell, Eyvind Kang, and Ornette Coleman.  Peacock mentored Grdina for many years and they clearly have a special relationship on this recording. 



Click the image to listen to or purchase the album on Amazon.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Shusmo - Mumtastic



Buzuq player and composer Tareq Abboushi has put together another excellent Arabic-meets-jazz record, entitled Mumtastic. 
Tareq studied jazz and piano at the esteemed William Patterson University in New Jersey, but grew up in Ramallah and has lived in Brooklyn for the past several years.  A soulful player and improviser with a deep sense of tarab, he is also a very talented composer with a gift for lively, memorable tunes.

Shusmo's previous recording "One" was excellent, and this is may be even better.
A better review than I can write is here: www.rootsworld.com/0603123/reviews/mumtastic-11.shtml
Also:
secretarchivesofthevatican.wordpress.com/2011/07/02/album-review-mumtastic-by-shusmo
and:
insideworldmusic.blogspot.com/2011/06/cd-review-tareq-abboushi-shusmos.html
and:
kunc.org/post/shusmo-funky-new-yorkers-middle-eastern-roots

Astrakan Café - Sheet Music

Here's a transcription I did of the title piece from Anouar Brahem's album Astrakan Cafe. There are two versions on the album. They are mainly the same, but are slightly different in the number of repeats and some of the rhythms are played with variations throughout. I tried to create an overall version. Another ending possibility is just repeating the last four bars and fading out.


You can purchase this great album from Amazon:
Astrakan Café

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Monday, March 12, 2012

Torabyeh ft. Husam Abed - Ghorbah

Torabyeh ft. Husam Abed - Ghorbah ("Alienation")
غربة - ترابية مع حسام عبد
Jordan




Mad props to Torabyeh for writing out the Arabic lyrics and the English translation themselves!

فيرس ١ / رصاصة
مكانتي من ورا فني مشوه
وشعري عن شعبي لشعبي مالو أي معني 
خروجي من الأرض مسألة وقت فقط 
وعملي للأحسن مش لألقي أجر بالسما 
بس بدي مكان أضمن فيو حق إبني 
آنا مش قاتل بس قادر أجرم من أجل حقي 
عشان وطني قلمي قاعد بكتب باسمي 
بديش مجندة اسرائيلية تمنع دفني بوطني 
بدي أندفن بنفس المقبرة إللي اندفن فيها جدي 
وانا من طفولتي بحلم لما أكبر أصير جندي 
مع الوقت إكتشفت لمين بدي أنتمي 
محمود عباس فتح حماس ولا جبهة 
خليني حر حواري لإنهم كلهم مرتزقة 
مش قادر أتعامل مع شعب عايش جوا كذبة 
الصورة حلوة والخلفية مدمرة 
صرنا بدنا فيزا إحنا مشان ندخل وطنا 
شكلو الشعب إلتهى بالثورة 
نسى العراق ونسى شتيلا وصبرا 
وانا رافض انسان بمستوى عادي 
والمتوفر بعمان بأفضل ظروفه انسان عاري 
فليش ما أنتمي لثورة حرة 
فيها صاحب العمل والأجير بنفس المستوى 
ولك رصاصة خلك هادي 
ولك كيف واسرائيل شعبها كلو جيش إحتياطي 

كورس/ حسام عابد
له ولو وصلنا لهيك مرحلة 
الوطن بدو رجال و وطنا صار أرملة 
جد قبعت وجى الوقت لواجه 
زياد رحباني قلهم مين الكافر 

فيرس ٢/ كاز
عم بضب أغراضي لجهز حالي للسفر 
من عمان لمكان فش فيو ضو قمر 
كلو صحرا كلو خمرة فس فيو شوية شجر 
لحتى غذي حالي منك .. إنتي يا طبيعة 
بنموك سريعة فما بتتهني بعمرك 
لإنهم بعملو على قصك فحقك عندي 
من كل هالكفرة إللي ما بآمنو بوجودك 
سيدي كان عندو بيارة وكان دايما يصونك 
بس لما إخوات **** إحتلو البلاد أخدوكي 
وعاش سيدي ومات وهو عم يحلم فيكي 
عم بجيكي أنا هسة لأشكيلك همي 
لإني حسيت في تشابه ما بينك وبيني 
مشاريع عمان عم ترميكي وترميني 
فيا أرض إحتضنيني ولجواتك رجعيني 
لإنو كل هالبنى إللي قوفك عم بزيد وجعي 
صار نفسي أصير غجري من خيمة لخيمة 
لأنو مكانتي بهالمجتمع مافي ألها أية قيمة 
نفسيتي مش سليمة، نفسيتي ماكلة خرا 
لإن **** ألف مرة ولساتنا عم نرجع لورا 
فا بعد إللي صار وبعد إللي هيصير 
بطل يفرق شو المصير مقتول أو أسير 
لإنو زيي زي كل واحد رمتو الدنيا بالقاع 
وحرمتو من الإستمتاع وحكمتو إنو ضاع 
بس الفرق الواحد إني راكي على إيقاع

كورس/ حسام عابد
له ولو وصلنا لهيك مرحلة 
الوطن بدو رجال و وطنا صار أرملة 
جد قبعت وجى الوقت لواجه 
زياد رحباني قلهم مين الكافر



Rasasah (Verse 1)
My status is deformed because of my art
My poetry for my people is meaningless
My departure from earth is only a matter of time
The good I do on earth is not to gain blessings from the heavens
I just want a place where I can secure my son’s rights
I am not a killer but I can commit a crime to protect my rights
For my country my pen is writing for me
I don’t want an Israeli soldier to stop me from being buried in my country
I want to be buried in the same graveyard my grandfather is in
Ever since I was young I dreamt of being a soldier
With time I discovered whom I belong to
Mahmoud Abbas, Fatah, Hamas or Jabha
Let me be free because they are all mercenaries
I can no longer deal with these people living a lie
The picture is nice but the background is destroyed
Now we need a visa to enter our own country?
It seems the people are distracted with the revolutions
They forgot Iraq and they forgot Shatila & Sabra
I refuse to be some regular human being
And what’s available in Amman in its best cases is bare
So why don’t I belong to a free revolution
Where the employer and employee are the same status
Rasasah; stay calm!
How can I when all the Israelis are reserve soldiers

Hussam (CHORUS)
Could it be that we have reached to this point?
Our country needs her men, she has become a widower
It’s time to stand up
Ziad Rahbani tell them who’s the non-believer!

Kazz (Verse 1)
I am packing my things getting ready to leave
From Amman to a place with no moonlight
All desert…all alcohol…with only a few trees
So I can feed myself from you mother nature
With your fast growth …you are never satisfied
Because they are always cutting you down…I will protect you
From all of those non-believers
My grandfather had an orchard and he always protected you
But when the sons of bitches occupied the land they stole you
And my grandfather lived and died dreaming of you
Now I come to you to share my pain
Because I felt that me and you are the same
The projects in Amman are throwing us around
Mother nature hold me and return me back inside you
Because all this construction above you is adding to my pain
I wish I was a gypsy going from tent to tent
Because my place in this society has no worth
I don’t feel well, I feel like shit
We’ve been fucked a thousand times and we’re still going backwards
After what has happened and what will happen
The fate is the same; murdered or captured
I am like all of those who life threw to the gutter
Deprived from happiness and sentenced to fade away
The only difference is that I am supported by rhythm”

Hussam (CHORUS)
Could it be that we have reached to this point?
Our country needs her men, she has become a widower
It’s time to stand up
"Ziad Rahbani tell them who’s the non-believer"

Thursday, March 8, 2012

عالسنسول - زياد الرحباني

عسيوفنا رقصت شمس - فرقة الفنون الشعبية الفلسطينية

فرقة الفنون الشعبية - ما بين حيفا و جنين

فيلمون وهبي - شو ما قالك سنفريان shu ma 2alak sanferian

فيروز - من حفلة بيت الدين - حبيتك تا نسيت النوم

 
حبيتك تا نسيت النوم - جوزف حرب

حبيتك تنسيت النوم يا خوفي تنساني
حابسني براة النوم و تاركني سهراني
أنا حبيتك حبيتك أنا حبيتك حبيتك
بشتاقلك لا بقدر شوفك و لا بقدر احكيك
بندهلك خلف الطرقات و خلف الشبابيك
بجرب إني إنسى بتسرق النسيان
و بفتكر لاقيتك رجعلي اللي كان
و تضيع مني كل ما لاقيتك
حبيتك حبيتك أنا حبيتك حبيتك
يا خوفي إبقى حبك بالإيام اللي جايي
و اتهرب من نسيانك ما اتطلع بمرايي
حبسي أنت أنت حبسي و حريتي أنت
و أنتا اللي بكرهو و اللي بحبو أنت
يا ريت ما سهرت و خفيتك
حبيتك حبيتك أنا حبيتك حبيتك

حبيتك تا نسيت النوم - جوزف حرب

حبيتك تنسيت النوم يا خوفي تنساني
حابسني براة النوم و تاركني سهراني
أنا حبيتك حبيتك أنا حبيتك حبيتك
بشتاقلك لا بقدر شوفك و لا بقدر احكيك
بندهلك خلف الطرقات و خلف الشبابيك
بجرب إني إنسى بتسرق النسيان
و بفتكر لاقيتك رجعلي اللي كان
و تضيع مني كل ما لاقيتك
حبيتك حبيتك أنا حبيتك حبيتك
يا خوفي إبقى حبك بالإيام اللي جايي
و اتهرب من نسيانك ما اتطلع بمرايي
حبسي أنت أنت حبسي و حريتي أنت
و أنتا اللي بكرهو و اللي بحبو أنت
يا ريت ما سهرت و خفيتك
حبيتك حبيتك أنا حبيتك حبيتك

أهو دا اللى صار _ فيروز _ " من حفلة بيت الدين ..

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Revolution Records - Kazeboon ("Liars")

Revolution Records (Mezo TeMraz, C-Zar, and Ahmed Rock) - Kazeboon ("Liars")
كاذبون - الثورجية
Egypt
Released January 22, 2012



Full text of the Arabic lyrics and their translation coming soon, but just check the video for now.

Word to Revolutionary Records for doing something I've always wanted to do but never easily could: putting Arabic and English subtitles side by side