The Night: World Music

I. Jacco Müller.
Jacco, graduated as a flamenco guitarist from the Rotterdam Conservatory, is also a guitar teacher, composer, producer and has his own record label: Mihrab Records. He is also a composer for orchestras, and as such has won the Masterpiece Prize in the United States twice. In 2007 an album of his was released with eight of his orchestral works, recorded by the Philharmonic Orchestras of: Kiev, Bulgaria and Czech Republic. On the album Alhambra by Night Jacco Müller combines two string instruments, the Spanish Flamenco guitar and the Arabic oud, plus percussion. The musical journey starts from Spanish Andalusia via the Mediterranean to the Middle East.
CD. Alhambra by Night – Jacco Müller. LABEL: Mihrab Records (2025). VIDEO

II. Ramzi Aburedwan.
Recorded in 2012, the album is a selection of Ramzi’s original compositions and arrangements, chronicling his personal history. He promotes peace and understanding through his music, but was also photographed as a young boy throwing rocks at Israeli tanks. That the same Ramzi has built an illustrious career in music is entirely by chance. He went on to study at the National Conservatory of Angers in France. The album Reflections Of Palestine is a thoughtful instrumental album that showcases Ramzi’s skill and artistry, sensitively telling his extraordinary story through sound.
CD. Reflections of Palestine – Ramzi Aburedwan. LABEL: World Music Network (2012), code: TUGCD1061. VIDEO

III. Itamar Borochov.
Trumpeter and composer Itamar Borochov grew up in Jaffa. This ancient Israeli port city, now part of Tel Aviv, is a melting pot of Arab, Jewish and Christian cultures. His initiation was only completed when he entered the Sephardic synagogue nearby: there Borochov absorbed sacred music based on Arabic scales and nourished himself with that ancient Jewish tradition. Borochov now lives in Brooklyn, New York. The music he writes for his jazz quartet is infused with Arab, Jewish and North African traditions. As befits not only jazz, but also Israeli and Arab folk music, this may sometimes go off the rails, but the atmosphere remains subdued and serious.
CD. Boomerang – Itamar Borochov. LABEL: Laborie (2016), code: LJ36. VIDEO

IV. Haytham Safia.
Safia’s music is colourfully based on his rich cultural past: he was born in the village of Kofir Yaseef in Northern Galilee. He has released about ten albums and has become one of the most prominent players of the oud. This lute is also called ‘the queen of musical instruments’ by the Arabs and the Arabic lute is in good hands with him. Haytham Safia received formal music training in Jerusalem, but has been living in the Netherlands for quite some time now, where he plays with Ad van Meurs in No Blues, among others. While he plays a mixture of western blues and eastern classical music with No Blues, the self-written compositions on his solo albums are completely based on classical Arabic music.
CD. Two elements – Haytham Safia. LABEL: Me & My (2016), code: MMOCD 2016. VIDEO

V. Le Trio Joubran.
The trio performs works by Palestinian poet and writer Mahmoud Darwish. In his work, Palestine became a metaphor for the loss of his country. In 2004, Darwish received the Prince Claus Award for his oeuvre. Mahmoud Darwish’s work has been translated into more than twenty languages. Le Trio Joubran is an old trio that plays traditional Palestinian music. The trio consists of brothers Samir, Wissam and Adnan Joubran, originally from the city of Nazareth, but now dividing their time between Nazareth, Ramallah and Paris. The Joubran brothers come from a well-known family with a rich artistic heritage. Their mother, Ibtisam Hanna Joubran, sang the Muwashahat (poems that originated in Arab Spain), while their father, Hatem Joubran (1944), is one of the most renowned string instrument makers in Palestine and the Arab world.
CD. A l’ombre des mots – Le Trio Joubran. LABEL: World Village (2009), code: WVF479036. VIDEO

VI. Marcel Khalifé.
He is not only famous for his fabulous playing on the Arabic lute, but also for his involvement in the Palestinian cause. Although he was born in Lebanon, he has always felt connected to the Palestinian people. He himself says that he wants to give a voice to the voiceless. In doing so, he draws inspiration from the poems of one of the most famous poets in the Arab world, the Palestinian Mahmoud Darwish. This commitment earned him the title of Artist for Peace in 2005, awarded by the cultural branch of the United Nations (UNESCO). On the album Taqasim (Improvisations), Marcel Khalifé plays together with his son Bachar, who is responsible for the percussion. Marcel Khalifé himself only plays the lowest registers of his lute for the occasion: the strings that continue to sing the longest.
CD. Taqasim – Marcel Khalifé. LABEL: Connecting Cultures (2006), code: CC 50034. VIDEO

VII. Sabîl.
This recording is the work of two Palestinian men Ahmad Al Khatib and Youssef Hbeisch who studied music at the Edward Said Conservatory in Jerusalem. They have incorporated influences from far beyond their homeland the Middle East into their music. In 2011 the duo Sabîl (On the Way) experience this as a life experience, with each project emphasizing their own trajectories. The album, Zabad, is a breath of fresh air in the duo’s musical production. As the group grew larger, the music became lighter. Because with each new project Ahmad, the composer, strives to renew his music compared to the previous project, to change his state of mind, his way of thinking, his way of doing things. The title of the album Zabad means Foam. Lightness, perseverance and the movement of the foam can be found in the music.
CD. Zabad, l’écume des nuits – Sabîl. LABEL: Harmonia Mundi (2017), code: HMM 905279. VIDEO

VIII.
Noa & Mira Awad.
A duet between an Israeli singer and an Arab actress, singer and songwriter. Noa and Mira, with their titles There Must Be Another Way and We Can Work It Out by the Beatles, make a call for peace. Since then, the friendship between Noa & Mira Awad has deepened. In an atmospheric exchange and togetherness, the ladies show their mutual connection, shared fear and pain and hope for a better future.
CD. There must be another way – Noa & Mira Awad. LABEL: Universal Records 00602527063423 + Universal Records 2706342. VIDEO

Producer: Cobie Ivens
Thanks to: