1000-year-old poetry
oud, qanun, violin, cello, percussion
Arabic
Andalusia
war, wine, love, languish
These are the foundational elements of one of our favorite collaborations – a concert in December 2016 that has lived vibrantly in our ears ever since. Originally produced by Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture and released in a limited-edition CD, today we send it out to the corners of the world through a new, full album release.
Dazzling is not a word we often use, and we don’t use it to refer to our performance; rather, that’s what it is like to sing and play this music. Also, invigorating, inspiring, and intoxicating.
The night has grown long and love speaks so
till the coming of dawn.
How sweet it is to unite and be
with those of beauty
with tranquil feelings telling the moons
of the coming bloom.
We love these words, the music (and inventiveness) of Kareem and Kinan, the generous collaborative spirit of the Takht players, the thoughtful art of Ashley Choukeir, the guidance of Hanna Khoury, the opportunity to feel our way through the beauty of sung Arabic, and the spectacular singing of Dalal Abu Amneh (and her solo bonus track!).
We are grateful to be invited into music of other cultures and to live in it.
We invite you to join in the joys and sorrows of every measure of this, our 25th album.
