Syriana

Real World Records

Imagine a dialogue between East and West. A dialogue of hopes and fears, similarities and differences, histories and futures; a conversation charged with emotion and balanced with respect. Imagine scenarios that bridge gaps, forge links: the great diva Fairuz sitting in a Midwest Cafe, with Dick Dale's Misirlou on the jukebox. Ry Cooder and Abdel Wahab puffing nargileh in a sunlit courtyard deep inside a labyrinthine souq.

Think of ancient civilisations and Middle Eastern aspirations vying and blending with film noir and surf guitars, spy novels and Cold War iconography. Picture the so-called American Dream - Americana - recognising the arts, culture and wisdom of the Middle East. Recognising Syriana.
Now imagine all this given musical form by an array of  instruments: the qanun, the ancient 81-string Arabic dulcimer. The double bass, an instrument at home with both Arabic and Western scales. The electric guitar - that symbol of Western popular music everywhere from Beirut to Texas. Imagine oud. Viola. Accordion. Arabic percussion. Violins, seven of them, courtesy of studio outfit the Pan Arab Strings of Damascus.
Syriana, then, is more than just a band. It's a concept. An attitude. A perspective. A place where themes of tolerance, liberty and hope come wrapped in Arabic rhythms and played through a Western filter. Where free musical interaction is a given - despite the ironies bestowed by political reality. It's a project without a single dominant instrument. In Syriana the whole really is greater than the sum of its parts.
Listen to the music and read The Road to Damascus
and Al Bidayeh reviews. Watch and listen the videos:
Syriana live at Islington, Gharibb, The making of
The Road to Damascus, The Great Game and Ana Araby (Abdullah Chhadeh & Syriana).