#4523, Contemporary Muwashshahat
Listen to contemporary Muwashshahat, flowing Arab poetry with music, including work by Syrian cellist and composer Kinan Abou-afach, Canadian trio Diar, and Jon Balke with Amina Alaoui. Muwashshahat are flowing Arabic poems with repeated returns to a musical refrain, which originated in Muslim Spain during the tenth century. Their intricate melodic, rhythmic and poetic structures contained lyrics speaking to love, joy and sorrow, (sourced via faridafahmy.com.)
Hear work by Syrian-born, Philadelphia-based cellist and composer Kinan Abou-afach for The Crossing, the Philadelphia-based choir conducted by Donald Nally. Then, listen to classical Arab music by the Aleppo-born and Swiss-based Syrian saxophonist, Basel Rajoub, and his ensemble.
Hear music from Norwegian pianist Jon Balke and Moroccan-born singer Amina Alaoui, supported by Algerian violinist Kheir Eddine M’Kachiche, and trumpeter Jon Hassell. There’s music by Diar a Canadian trio who play Syrian Arabic traditional songs Infused with flamenco and music from the late Hamza El Din, a master of the oud, a vocalist, and player of the frame drum called tar.
Plus, hear live recordings of both the late Mark Kyrkostas at the piano, performing these Muwashshahat and the Orchestra of Tetouan, Morocco, performing a suite of classical Arab-Andalusian music live in our studio. - Caryn Havlik
#4523, Contemporary Mwashshahat (First Aired 8/3/2021)
ARTIST: Hamza El Din
WORK: Mwashah (Lamma Bada) [2:01]
RECORDING: Eclipse
SOURCE: Mickey Hart Collection
INFO: folkways.si.edu
ARTIST: Al-Bustan Takht Ensemble
WORK: When He Appeared - Lamma Bada Yatathana [3:52]
RECORDING: Words Adorned (Live)
SOURCE: Navona Records
INFO: navonarecords.com
ARTIST: Basel Rajoub
WORK: Ya Tha Elqawam [6:00]
RECORDING: The Queen of Turquoise
SOURCE: JazzVillage
INFO: sorianaproject.com; Available on Spotify and iTunes
ARTIST: Diar
WORK: Jadaka-Al Ghaythu [6:29]
RECORDING: live at Sofar, Toronto
SOURCE: Youtube.com
INFO: instagram.com/diar.band
ARTIST: Jon Balke and Amina Alaoui, Jon Hassell
WORK: Itimad [6:49]
RECORDING: SIWAN
SOURCE: ECM 2042
INFO: www.ecmrecords.com
ARTIST: Mark Kyrkostas
WORK: Two Mwashahat [4:39]
RECORDING: New Sounds Live Recording, 1983
SOURCE/INFO: Not commercially available
ARTIST: Orchestra Tetouan
WORK: Suite: Hijas al Kabeer [11:05]
RECORDING: New Sounds Live Recording, 2009
SOURCE: Not commercially available
INFO: More about the Orchestra of Tetouan at www.menamusic.org
ARTIST: The Crossing, Donald Nally; Al-Bustan Takht Ensemble
WORK: Kinan Abou-afach: OF NIGHTS AND SOLACE V. Yā man ‘adā (You Who Left and Passed) [5:16]
RECORDING: Words Adorned (Live)
SOURCE: Navona Records
INFO: navonarecords.com
