Smadj – Solotronic (Whirling Wolf, 2017) Solotronic is the new solo album by Smadj (Jean-Pierre Smadja), a French-Tunisian artist who has taken the ud (Arabic…
Deeply Mesmerizing Ud
Tag: Arabic music
Artist Profiles: Waed Bouhassoune
Syrian singer and ‘ud player Waed Bouhassoune was born in 1979. She has a voice of such quality that is rarely encountered one of the…
Syrian Kanun Dreams
Maya Youssef - Syrian Dreams (Harmonia Mundi, 2017) Syrian Dreams brings together Arabic and western classical music traditions as well as other influences like…
Artist Profiles: Sabah Fakhri
Sabah Fakhri is one of the foremost master vocalists of the Arab world. He was born in Aleppo, Syria in 1933. His talent was recognized…
Artist Profiles: Muhammad Qadri Dalal
Muhammad Qadri Dalal was born in Aleppo in 1946. He is a first-class master of the Arabic lute (ud) and is very well-known in his…
Extraordinarily Expressive Contemporary Maqams
Anouar Brahem – Blue Maqams (ECM Records, 2017) Blue Maqams brings together Anouar Brahem, one of the great masters of the oud, and three of…
Syriana’s Ipiros Remixes for a Great Cause
Syriana – Ipiros Remixes (Realworld Records, 2017) This 5-track digital-only EP features several variations of Ipiros. This song was originally made for Syriana’s Road To…
Music to Realize Peace
Rahim Alhaj – Letters from Iraq: Oud and String Quintet (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings SFW40577, 2017) Two ancient traditions meet on Letters from Iraq: Oud and…
Le Trio Joubran to Perform at John Jay College in New York City
Acclaimed Palestinian brothers Samir, Wissam, and Adnan Joubran are set to perform at Saturday, July 29 at Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College.…
Artist profiles: Haytham Safia
Haytham Safia, born in 1980, is an Arab-Israeli from Jerusalem. His passion for the Ud started at an early stage. In 2001 he made his…