Al Qahwa – Weyn Allah (Al Qahwa, 2023)
Toronto’s world music group Al Qahwa Ensemble have released their fourth album, “Weyn Allah” (Where is God?) The ensemble featuring musicians from varied backgrounds includes Egyptian-Canadian Maryem Tollar on vocals, riqq (Arabic tambourine) and kanun (Arabic table harp); Irish/Acadian/Hungarian-Canadian Ernie Tollar on wind instruments; Greek-Canadian Demetri Petsalakis on oud (Arabic fretless lute); and Iranian-Canadian Naghmeh Fahrahmand on Middle Eastern percussion.
The fascinating music of Al Qahwa reflects a wide range of musical influences. It is finely constructed world fusion, where irresistible global rhythms meet evocative wind melodies, mesmerizing strings from the Middle East and vocals in English.
Buy Weyn Allah
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.