Ashwaaq [15th Anniversary Deluxe Remastered LP]

Amir ElSaffar - Ashwaaq [15th Anniversary Deluxe Remastered LP]

Composer and multi-instrumentalist Amir ElSaffar has achieved international renown for his work combining the Maqam of Iraq and the Arab world with jazz. With Ashwaaq, he displays a new facet of his work with a composition for string quartet, santur, and vocalist Khaled AlHafez, a master of the musical tradition of Aleppo, Syria. This dialogue between AlHafez’s warm voice and interpretive style that blends rigor and grace and string quartet explores the microtonal resonances of the maqam and the possibilities of a polyphony rooted in Arab traditions. The texts come from Turjuman Al-Ashwaaq (Translator of Desires) a collection of mystical and ecstatic love poems written by the revered 12th century Sufi mystic, Ibn Arabi, and explore the universal power of love, the inner quest, and the search for unity in the diversity of the world. Ashwaaq is a captivating moment of celebration, where poetic and musical heritages intersect beyond cultural and disciplinary boundaries. A1. Introduction - Nizam نظام A2. I - Layta Shi'ri لَيْتَ شِعْرِي A3. II - Qif Bil-Manazili قِفْ بِالمَنَازِلِ A4. III - Tal'a Al-Badru طَلَعَ البَدْرُ B1. IV - Qalat قَالَتْ B2. V - Lam'at Lana Bil-Abraqayn لَمَعَتْ لَنَا بِالأَبْرَقَيْنِ B3. VI - AlHubbu Dini (Love is My Religion) الحُبُّ دِينِي وِإِيمَانِي B4. VII - Ala Ya Banat Al-Wadi أَلَا يَا بَانَةَ الوَادِي