The Rough Guide to the Music of Palestine Announced for July 2014

The Rough Guide to the Music of Palestine (RGNET1317CD) is scheduled for release July 28, 2014. This essential collection includes voices of Palestinians who live in the occupied Palestinian territories, Israel, and in the diaspora.

Toot Ard are a roots reggae band from the Golan Heights. Their lyrics deal with universal themes: ‘about going back to nature, on the disappearance of national borders and about the idea of freedom’.

Jowan Safadi is an avant-garde rocker from Nazareth who makes ‘Hafla (Party) Rock’ but here jams with an African blues feel.

Khalas are a heavy metal band and ramp it up on ‘Badek Zafi’ with thrashing guitars and a sufi-inspired ney.

Amal Murkus’ distinctive hazy vocal and passionate style is inspired by the folk music of her beloved homeland and by the great classical divas of Arabic music. Amal features again on atmospheric track ‘If I Could Go Back In Time’ with the most highly-profiled Palestinian hip-hop collective DAM.

Sanaa Moussa’s ‘Wea’younha’ is inspired by Palestinian songs that date all the way back to the Ottoman period. Haya Zaatry works on a more acoustic flex on the gentle guitar-led ‘Manakir’.

Oud maestro Hosam Hayek is heard on ‘Give Me The Flute’ taken from his album Stranger In My Homeland.

Awan Group features an oud alongside violin and percussion on ‘Nahawand’.

Le Trio Joubran also underline the importance of the oud in Palestinian music on the driving track ‘Nawwar’.

Shadi Zaqtan’s thoughtful contribution ‘Fi Ballad’ angles towards a more pop feel.

Swinging ‘Ya Ktabna’ is contributed by Momken Band. Futuristic sharp-edged track ‘Tojann’ is by jazz guitarist and composer Michel Sajrawy from Nazareth and is his interpretation of a style he coins ‘Arab-bop’.

The 2-CD set includes a bonus album by Ramzi Aburedwan

Track List

CD1
01 Sanaa Moussa: Wea’younha
02 Le Trio Joubran: Nawwar
03 DAM feat Amal Murkus: If I Could Go Back In Time
04 Toot Ard: Ash-Sham
05 Momken Band: Ya Ktabna
06 Jowan Safadi: Tayran Ababil
07 Hosam Hayek: Give Me The Flute
08 Amal Murkus: Doq
09 Awan Group: Nahawand
10 Haya Zaatry & Ghanni 3an Ta3rif: Manakir
11 Shadi Zaqtan: Fi Balad
12 Michel Sajrawy: Tojann
13 Walaat Music Band: Alla Shiklo Shakshiklo
14 Khalas: Badek Zafi
15 Kamilya Jubran & Werner Hasler: Al-Shaatte’ Al-Akhar

CD2 – Ramzi Aburedwan: Reflections Of Palestine
01 Rahil
02 Sans Adresse
03 Sodfa
04 Bahar
05 Raja
06 Tahrir
07 Samai Farah Faza
08 Bordeaux
09 Andalus
10 Gitans En Orient