Maqam Al-Iraq [CD]

Hamid Al-Saadi - Maqam Al-Iraq [CD]

Hamid Al-Saadi (b. 1958, Iraq) is the sole living master of the entire Iraqi Maqam repertoire—a tradition of long-form sung poetry, passed down for generations and inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. His powerful vocals channel this spiritual tradition that contains echoes from Baghdad’s golden ages and ancient Mesopotamian civilizations. Maqam Al-Iraq is Hamid’s first release since 1999 and one of a handful of commercially released albums in the genre. It also marks the debut of Maqam Records, a label dedicated to traditional and contemporary Maqam-inspired music. Al-Saadi memorized all 56 maqam compositions from a very young age and was named successor to the 20th century Maqam grandmasters, Yusuf Omar and Mohammed Al-Gubbanchi. The latter referred to Al-Saadi as “the ideal link to pass on the Maqam to future generations,” which is demonstrated through this album. Each track includes a short rhythmic musical introduction, followed by a maqam composition, and ending with a pesteh,or lighthearted folk song. Now based in Brooklyn, Al-Saadi teaches and performs across the U.S., leading a revival of the Maqam tradition. 1. 1. Maqam Al Iraq / Dar al-Fikir wa al Amjad 2. Maqam Al Sa’idi Hijaz / Habibi Rah wa Ma Janeh 3. Maqam Al Qazzaz / Wa Weilah wa Weil 4. Maqam Al Mansuri / Ya Dada Ya Sha’lan