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Hada Leil
The
musical ensemble Turab (Soil or Earth in
Arabic) was started in 2004 by a group of seven
musicians living in Palestine. Turab performs
original songs based on lyrics by contemporary
Palestinian poets. Hada Leil, Turab’s
first CD, contains eleven songs and one
instrumental piece drawing on a number of
different musical styles—often simultaneously.
While much of the music is derived from the
classical and pop Arabic music traditions, other
influences are at times overt and at other times
subtle. For instance, Tafran (Broke), the
tenth track on the CD, transits from verses
which combine reggae with a Latin beat and a
walking bass line to choruses which are purely
Arab pop. The group uses a combination of Arabic
and other instruments including the ‘oud, bazouq,
guitar, string bass, clarinet, nay, accordion
and percussion from the Arab tradition, Iran,
Africa and Latin America.
The music of Hada Leil is directly
informed by the lyrics written by five poets.
The poems that form the basis of the songs deal
with topics of freedom, occupation, poverty and
love. Some of the poetry and accompanying music
were written during (and in reaction to) the
Israeli invasion of Palestinian cities in 2002.
For instance, the words of Hada Leil, the
title track, were read to the composer, Basel
Zayed, by the poet, Samer El-Salhy, with the
last of his cell phone battery during the
invasion of Ramallah when the city had no
electricity or water.
The poet, Mahmoud Abu Hash-hash, wrote the
following about Turab’s Hada Leil:
“This is a performance that moves with vigour
and artistry between the surface and depth. On
the one side is a vital frankness, a
straightforward musical language disengaged from
symbols and codes, whose very clarity mocks at a
reality preoccupied with reproducing itself and
the tools of its misery. On the other is an
inherent poetry, burdened by its humanity, whose
existential cry is both universal and uniquely
Palestinian.
“Its Palestinian essence—and its
youthfulness—pervades its lyrics, melody and
performance. This is a work that is firmly
rooted in its cultural and political contexts,
Palestinian and Arab, aware of its surroundings
and attentive of their issues. It draws on a
distinguished tradition of political and social
music, yet hits a unique note all of its own. In
so doing, its distinctive voice adds to that
rich legacy.”
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