From Sufi Chant to Oriental Jazz

At Warqa Al Arabiyya ili-Inshad perform Sufi music

Before the annual 2007 Christmas choir, two concerts were presented at AUB steeped in Arab and Persian musical and poetic traditions with a surprisingly modern twist-ranging from Sufi chant to Oriental jazz. In early October, as part of the Anis Makdissi program for Literature, the Sufi musicians of al-Warqa' al-'Arabiyya lil-Inshad were presented by Maher Jarrar as emblematic of a living melodic practice, "eight hundred years after Jalal el-Din al Rumi," who said, "The sound of the nay is the gate to heaven. We hear it and it opens…"

The main composer, vocalist, and oud player Sahir al-Halabi hoped that "for this hour and a half, we will try and forget the past external to us, so that everyone can experience the Sufi love for God together." The distinct strains of fervent, devotional Sufi music with Moheddine al-Ghali on qanun, Samir Siblini on nay, Wahid Saïd on violin, and Naji Aridi on raq followed. Inspired by the spiritual texts of al-Hallaj, Ibn Sina, al-Shibli, Rabia Al-Adawiyya, As-Sahrawardy and contemporary Sufi poets such as Abd al-Fattah Rawas al-Qalaji, al-Halabi hoped this improvisational symphony would counter accusations that "Islam doesn't reach out" to people.

"Cyminologie," from Germany, led by the mesmerizing voice of Cymin Samawatie, of Iranian heritage, performed in the Assembly Hall in early December. The band represented a mix of ethnic backgrounds, with a French pianist, German bassist, and an Indian drummer. Inspired by ancient Persian poetic verses from as early as the eleventh century, their music ranged from distinguished mystic Hafez and master poet Omar Khayyam, to postmodern, free jazz. Samawatie's high-pitched melancholic intonation blended with an upbeat backdrop as the musicians engaged in back-and-forth communication with one another. Samawatie said she wanted to bring out the best of her two cultural backgrounds in musical heritage. Although she did not grow up in Iran, it is hard to avoid cultural connections and crosscurrents today, even when one is searching deeply for roots.