• TAQS.IM Middle Eastern Music

  • Written by: TAQS.IM
  • Podcast

TAQS.IM Middle Eastern Music

Written by: TAQS.IM
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  • Summary

  • The TAQS.IM Middle Eastern Music podcast discusses playing, performing and appreciating Arabic, Armenian, Assyrian, Balkan, Greek, Kurdish, Persian, Turkish music and more.
    https://taqs.im/terms/
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Episodes
  • Becca Stevens & The Secret Trio

    Becca Stevens & The Secret Trio
    Sep 24 2021
    Antranig Kzirian sits down with Becca Stevens, Ara Dinkjian, Ismail Lumanovski, and Tamer Pinarbaşi to discuss their new collaboration entitled "Becca Stevens and The Secret Trio". 2021 GRAMMY-nominated Becca Stevens was in awe witnessing The Secret Trio’s performance at the GroundUP Music Festival a few years ago. The Secret Trio is made up of an oudist, kanunist and clarinetist who came together to create a new type of chamber music, combining the elements of sound, texture and rhythm with new and interesting approaches to their instruments. They perform original pieces and traditional melodies that fuse the microtonal modes and improvisation of the Middle East, dance beats of the Balkans, and elements of jazz, rock, classical and world music. The Secret Trio has played at the most prestigious venues throughout Turkey, including Cemal Reşit Rey Hall. Michael League, Snarky Puppy bandleader and founder of GroundUP Music, wrote most of the songs with Becca for the Becca Stevens & The Secret Trio album along with producing it. The record focuses on blending Becca’s effortless vocal talent and exquisite compositions with The Secret Trio’s mastered musical traditions. Becca is a highly respected collaborator and has worked with the likes of David Crosby, Jacob Collier, Brad Mehldau, Esperanza Spalding, and more. Topics include: Discussion of the project from the artists’ perspective.Dinkjian comments that it’s about music and people, and working with such talented individuals makes the music the easy part.Stevens enjoys playing with The Secret Trio (TST) and they all have a great relationship in the collaboration, having met in the studio after learning about each other at a festival in Florida.Dinkjian explains that Michael League flew to Turkey to see a TST concert and then invited TST to perform at the GroundUp music festival in Miami. Stevens was a performer at the same festival, and asked League for the “can’t miss” set and League immediately mentioned TST – Stevens was blown away by the group, and her musician colleague Jamie Haddad said “that’s your next band”, and League arranged for them to all meet and plan a project to work together.Discussion of the dynamics of bringing different artists in a fusion collaboration together to meld their talents and work to put out new material.Dinkjian explained that the recording was a bit of a different experience and the tunes were being learned in the studio by TST, as Stevens and League had written several tunes – this was a departure for Dinkjian, as he writes, arranges and rehearses, and executes compositions in the studio, whereas this was more of a creative process unfolding in real-time in the studio, and this stretched out his experience on the oud and was an exciting situation and a gift for him to learn from working with Stevens – and Dinkjian’s background is in some ways similar and different to the rest of TST’s members as is of Armenian descent, but was also born in America.The objective was to make the music bigger with their instruments. Dinkjian notes the significance and example of the album “West meets East” by Yehudi Menuhin and Ravi Shankar, which was one of the first fusion records from back in the mid-1960s. In relation, this new style surfacing with Stevens was something to notice and experience for TST.Lumanovski explains that the album unfolding was quite natural. Melodically simple structures emerged and were easy for the group to incorporate and together they found a common feeling and fit to project in their performance. Lumanovski remarks that Western music has a different feel rhythmically and this was an exposure for the group and it was an essential part of the recording, but concedes that it was a challenge to reach that point.Discussion of “We Were Wrong” and the modal characteristics of the melody with contrasting vocals, and how this juxtaposition is not common in western music.Stevens remarked that League is a bassist and works with Snarky Puppy, and dabbles with other instruments, including the oud. League would send voice memos of ideas, and “We Were Wrong” was one of those ideas. Stevens describes it as pastoral and spacious and that it inspired her as she developed the melodies for that song, and the music video was the result of open requests on social media for clips of dancers from all over the world. Chris McQueen (Snarky Puppy) helped them by editing the video footage which gives the viewer the feel of comprehensively choreographed footage, along with footage overseas from Turkey for more of the “West meets East” vibe.Dinkjian explains that League initiated many ideas on the oud, and for Dinkjian as an oud player he observed League’s approach as being quite different from his own, and the experience League provided for him was to broaden his work on the oud. Stevens notes that Charango, which is of Peruvian origin, and Ukelele are used on this track which gave ...
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    33 mins
  • Aliya Cycon: Oud Player, Singer & Composer

    Aliya Cycon: Oud Player, Singer & Composer
    Apr 16 2020
    Talented young Oud player and singer Aliya Cycon joins the podcast. She was born and raised in America, but her music suggests otherwise. Singing in Arabic, Spanish and English, while showing off her exciting and virtuosic Oud playing, Aliya shares her curiosity for the world through her original compositions and multi-cultural covers. She has performed at the Nobel Business For Peace Awards in Oslo, and toured internationally as a “Cultural Ambassador” for the US State Department, selling out a 1,000-seat amphitheater in Amman, and performing in three Tunisian summer music festivals. Notable collaborations include Jordanian music stars Tareq Jundi, Nasser Salameh and Yarub Smirat. Tunisian icon Zied Gharsa, and LA-based pop singer Naïka. Aliya is sponsored by Godin Guitars, La Bella Strings, and Avid Technology. Check out her new Spain-based project, Aliya and the New Andalus. Topics include: Aliya is originally Polish, and grew up with piano, which was her first love, and she applied to start in jazz at Berklee and was acceptedShe went on a trip to Palestine with her father, and this left an impression on her - her father runs a coffee company with grassroots activities to assist and support underdeveloped communitiesThis introduced her to Arab style music, and she was enamored with the style and the oud especially, which was her first stringed instrumentThis was her first experience with heterophonic performance and monophonic melodiesShe embarked on a journey from jazz piano into Arab music on the oud which involved the study of makam, taqsim, etc.Studied at Alwan for the Arts in Manhattan for an introduction to Arab music, which had just started to offer Arab music coursesInteresting story of Aliya's first experience with Rast (Arab mode similar to the major scale, but with particular quarter tones and rules of interpretation)Came into contact with great records through her dance background, including Simon Shaheen's Turath and Ziad Rahbani's Ana Mush KafrZiad Rahbani is one of her main influences, which was her main entry point into Arab music, and Shaheen's compositions and tone as well, and Sharbell Rouhana (Lebanes oudplayer) and Marcel KhalifaThe Arabic Music Retreat played a big role in her musical development (week-long music conference in Western Massachusetts at Mt. Holyoke College)Oud with vocals in the troubadour style embodied her art as far as how she progressed, and this was based in part due to certain artists she found inspirationalNot a purist, she listens to various styles of music and different artistsShe is currently in Spain, and not surrounded by Arab taksim style music as much anymore, some more Spanish influences in her current environmentThe oud is a part of her brand, as a female artistAliya also has some travel tips for oud players for soft-case and hard-case pros/consShe started with instrumental ideas in jazz fusion for oud, not as much with vocals, but this progressed over time - a binary question she faced as an American interested in Arab Jazz fusionTigran Hamasyan was an influence, as an Armenian jazz pianistSpent some time working on her arranging skills with her second album and orchestration, and even explored cinematic composition stylesShe incorporated a second oud player for a time while she worked on her oud playing skills, and started to showcase her own oud playingEventually, she added some Spanish and French vocals and imbued her songs with more of a Mediterranean hue, and geared toward playing for audiences that can enjoy her performance, using some flamenco influence as wellShe uses La Bella strings, and was able to spec her own strings, and received a Godin oud for her graduation gift from Berklee College of Music from her parentsGodin reached out to her and asked her to perform at NAMM, and endorsed her, and now she has two Godin oudsNajib Shaheen restored her Syrian oud and she uses this for recording at times for her Prayer album, and she also uses her John Vergara oud for both live and recording and is on her Aliya and the Andalus albumHer favorite oud is made by Abu Alaa, the Palestinian oud luthier - this oud provide a deep voice and was used on her song "Jasmine"Aliya conducted a tour in Kuwait in April 2019, and used her electric oud, but received help with finding an acoustic oud from a network of local oud playersAliya uses a Syrian tuning (Syrian oud tuning C-F-A-D-G-C), and discusses her experience with another high F string, and how this is more characteristic of Iraqi Ouds (Nasir Shamma, etc.)She is currently living in Valencia, Spain finishing her Masters degree and active with shows, songs, and videos, where she became inspired by Andalusian music and culture and exploring flamenco and fusion style with Arab musicAliya began studying and jamming with Pedro Navarro for flamenco guitar but notes some challenges arise with different keys when guitars and ouds work togetherHer time in Tunisia broadened her horizons with ...
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    53 mins
  • Emad Shakouri: Persian Kanun & World Music

    Emad Shakouri: Persian Kanun & World Music
    Mar 10 2020
    Persian Kanun Master Emad Shakuri joins the podcast. He discusses how he started playing the kanun, performing with a multitude of musicians, world music and his approach to arranging music.   Topics Include:
    • Spent time in Sweden, Iran and Turkey, where he bought a Kanun in Istanbul and used to practice 10 hours a day in Stockholm, in part due to his situation as an immigrant 
    • In Iran, the santur was more common, and it was interesting to try an instrument that wasn't as prominent in the kanun, and his father made instruments (tar, santur and several others)
    • Interacted with various Middle Eastern and Eastern European ethnic groups in Sweden, and used his playing of the kanun to mix all these styles together
    • Found it fascinating to blend Persian, Kurdish and Turkish styles, and is close with Taksim Trio, which have performed on his recordings
    • Shakouri has recorded 120+ albums as a producer/arranger
    • Various kanun samples by Shakouri on the podcast, where he demonstrates his style
    • His origins are in northern Iran, near the Caspian Sea, but has traveled all over the world
    • Varies the different quarter tone possibilities for creative optionality, mixing and matching modes
    • He plays with all his fingers on both hands, not with picks
    • Traveled to South America with his University studies, and was exposed to a lot of different musical influences to incorporate into his playing, including flamenco
    • Works with top singers throughout the Middle East for both recordings and performances, including top Lebanese artists like George Wasouf, George Arasy, Hany Shaker from Egypt, Angham from Egypt, Hata Muraghi and Habib Ali from Iraq, Koza Masayer, Ibrahim Tatlises, Emra with Jaylan, Emalsayin, Moraham Ahmati from Albania, Pandoura from Macedonia, Hamza from Macedonia, Spiros Kotis from Greece, Moeen (for nearly 20 years) and Googoosh from Iran, Mahashti, Khaliji, Nabil Shahil, and scores of others, including with jazz and fusion artists
    • The concept of music as teamwork for Shakouri, and gaining experience by working with others, for example listening to different forms of improvisation
    • Shakouri's first instrument was Zarb/Toumbek to learn tempo and rhythm, Percussion instruments from Iran to learn time, and he studied at his father's music school - his second instrument was the tar
    • Instruments were forbidden for a time during his childhood during Khomeini's time, and his father's factory made instruments and had influence over this controversial dynamic
    • At the age of 8 years old, he performed in front of a crowd over 2000 people
    • Shakouri's brother is also a music producer, but more traditional Persian style influences
    • Spent time with Ustad Shahid Parvis one of the most revered Sitar players
    • For compositions and arrangement, he engages artists and singers to see how they approach their music
    • Shakouri's signature is writing for string sections, with a Turkish string section, because they play all styles well
    • Discusses how many Arab and Turkish music scales are originally from Persian, Armenian or Azeri culture
    • Discussion of how instruments may move from region to region and different cultures may adopt and even improve the playing of these instruments beyond the original versions and styles
    • Works with William Ross at Capital Studios and Persian artist Moeen, providing middle eastern style music for movie soundtrack projects and pop song recordings, incorporating kanun and also Turkish strings
    • Has shared his arrangements with Ibrahim Tatlises, with a compliment that Oylesef, that Shakouri's arrangement was more impressive than the original
    • Advice for new players is to listen to different kinds of music and various styles from all over the world to learn something, with an example of how Indian glissando vocals and sitar concepts helped him develop his style
       
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    32 mins

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