Simon Shaheen is a wonderful `oud player and is a composer also, as is Marcel Khalife. One of the most revered `oud players is an Iraqi, Munir Bashir. He actually invented a different sort of `oud that has quite a different sound from the traditional `oud, and so you can buy and play a Bashiri `oud if you prefer that sound and feel. You can buy his CD’s online or in international music stores. There is one of Munir Bashir’s students living in New Mexico, and he is also a composer. His name is Rahim Al Haj. I have seen him in person, and met and talked with him, and I like his music very much. You can listen to clips and buy his CD’s at his website here.

If you would like to hear some traditional Iraqi songs accompanied by `oud from a very good, but relatively unknown musician, may I suggest `Amr Toufiq, whose only CD is the soundtrack of the documentary “About Baghdad”. `Amr Toufiq’s career as a performer was inhibited because he refused to perform for or praise Saddam and his regime. I like his voice and his interpretation very much.

Mujaddara is really a very simple vegetarian dish made from a combination of lentils and rice with onion. Sometimes burghul wheat is used instead of or in addition to the rice, and of course you can use herbs or spices such as cumin if you like. It is a standard item in most Middle Eastern cook books, and I am sure you can find recipes online as well.

Although it is a tempered instrument, it can be modified to approximate the microtones, but not 100% accurately for all the ajnas (plural of jins – a jins is a step-wise sequence of usually four or five tones, though a few ajnas have three tones) or maqamat (plural of maqam, which is the Arabic music equivalent of the “scale” – each maqam is a combination of ajnas) because the microtones are not identical for all ajnas.

Indeed! But of course the great master had no clue that there was actually more than one language!

“Hollywood Hejaz” That is funny.

By the way, speaking of movie soundtrack music, you know that stereotypical scale that is used to depict the “exotic Arab scene with camels trekking across the desert horizon” – it goes whole step, step-and-a-half, half step? That is known to Arabic musicians as “Hollywood Hejaz”. You see, there is a “scale” – or more accurately a four-tone step-wise sequence known as a jins (kind of equivalent to genus) that is called Hejaz – it sounds kind of like the upper four notes of the western harmonic minor, except that the third tone is somewhat lower in the Hejaz jins than it is in the harmonic minor. Since western movie soundtrack people can only conceptualize it terms of the western tempered scale, the third tone in the soundtrack “Hejaz” is much too high, and the space between the third and fourth tones is too tight, so it sounds really funny to the Arabic musicians ear. So, it is not a real Hejaz, but a “Hollywood Hejaz”.

The only eastern guitarist I’m familiar with is Lily Ashfar, the amazing Iranian classical guitarist, she lives and teaches here in Memphis, but is world renowned. So I’ll make note of your suggestions for guitar and oud players.

Thanks,

Dee

I am fortunate to study Arabic music theory with one of his students, and another of my teachers is a friend of his.

Another Arabic artist that you should not miss is the Lebanese `oud player Marcel Khalife. He performs with his sons, who are quite interesting musicians themselves. He does quite a bit of fusion-type stuff, too, some of which works ok, and some of which I find rather jarring. He toured the U.S. this year, and was, as always, awesome. He had quite a difficult time on this tour, unfortunately. The venue for his San Diego concert cancelled on him for political reasons, and they were forced to find another venue at the last moment. And the bass violin was damaged in customs, apparently with no apology, and they were forced to locate and purchase a new one very quickly – not something you can just go out and do, since each instrument is hand made and unique. I can only imagine how upsetting that was for everyone, especially the bassist. Amy Goodman interviewed him on Democracy Now. You can find the interview I am sure by going to Democracynow.org and searching on his name.

And I have a story about Simon Shaheen. As some people may know, there are tones in Arabic music that do not exist in the western tempered scales. They are referred to as quarter tones in relation to the western scales, but that is not really accurate. In any case, they are a natural part of the Arabic tonality, and are found in most of the Arabic music “scales”. It seems Simon went to talk to one of the great violin masters at Julliard (I think), or some other famous music school in new York, and he played for him – I think it was a Bach Sonata. The master was very impressed and complimented him on his technique, musicality, precise intonation, and sense of style, then he asked him to please play something from the Arabic tradition. When Simon finished, the master looked somewhat quizzical, and said “that was very interesting, really, but your intonation on the Bach was perfect, so why did you play so many notes out of tune on this one?”

It is true that while the majority of the fine Arabic musicians since the late 19th century have been increasingly well versed in western music, western musicians know nothing about Arabic music, other than it must – they think – consist mostly of simple, primitive folk tunes. They have no idea of the millennia of history and development and the complex and sophisticated system of “scales”, tonalities, rhythms and forms of Arabic music. That is their loss, really.

It was prepared by my ex’s wife (well, it’s all in the family, anyway)

Shirin,
That is funny.

Did you go a concert in 2002, which toured the US, featuring featured Arab & World Music super stars Khaled, Hakim & oud/violin virtuoso Simon Shaheen?
The first date for Detroit, at the gorgeous Opera House was cancelled, due to 9/11.

They came back and made up the date and it was amazing. Prior to the concert, we heard two young men, in a good mood, sitting behind us, “How do we really know this THE Khaled, not Khaled from Dearborn?”
The other guy said, “Yeah, for all we know that might be Hakim from Hamtramck.”
I couldn’t restrain myself, and burst out laughing. They had perfect comedic timing. My wife did better than I did and restrained her laugh. I turned around and smiled and could tell the young men were pleased that their diatribe received the appropriate response. And they welcomed us. Seated next to us was a lovely young lady who attended the U of Michigan – an American via Palestine. She was charming and graciously took it upon herself to be our host, as if we were family. We were surrounded by smiling people who bade us welcome with their eyes.
The concert? Absolutely superb and the musicianship phenomenal.

Here’s a piece on the tour.
http://www.afropop.org/multi/feature/ID/69

Benazir Bhutto Was beautifuln and glamorous. She was also an avaricious, corrupt, ambitious politician who ran a very corrupt government, did not even try to fulfill her promises to Pakistani women, and mainly lined her pockets and those of her family and cronies at the expense of the Pakistani people.

There’s nothing exceptional to see here, folks. Move along.

The sandwich sounds delicious no matter how you spell it!

The other night I had the BEST mujaddara at a family gathering. It was prepared by my ex’s wife (well, it’s all in the family, anyway). She did a great job with it. I don’t make it that often, but next time I do I will try her technique.

Her death need not be the beginning of Pakistan’s end.
By Mansoor Ijaz
from the December 28, 2007 edition

Benazir Bhutto was a beautiful and idealistic woman when she came to Pakistan’s rescue in 1988. Growing up as the scion of one of its most powerful political families imposed enormous responsibilities on her and created perhaps unrealistic expectations of what she could deliver to save her chaotic country from disintegration. Her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, reportedly encouraged her as an up-and-coming politician to study the lives of history’s great women leaders, from Joan of Arc to Indira Ghandi, so she could prepare to lead Pakistan.

-snip-

I knew Benazir well. I am often blamed by her supporters for having helped bring her government down in 1996 by exposing her hypocrisy and corruption in two Wall Street Journal Op-Ed pieces. We remained in touch over the years after she went into exile, even developing a begrudging respect for each other over time. She struck me as a terribly conflicted person who deep in her heart wanted to save Pakistan from its evils, but was unable to put her personal lifestyle choices aside in doing so. But I firmly believe that she loved Pakistan, and for all her faults, had returned there this time to turn a new page in its troubled political history. We should remember her for her courage to stand up in the face of incalculable odds to bring some semblance of sanity to the disaster that Pakistan has become.
cont’d
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1228/p09s01-coop.html