The Joys of Live Music

My teachers would always tell me how superior live music was to recorded music. It took me time to come around to their way of thinking – live bands generally scared me – all that uncertainty. But that same uncertainty that can strike fear in one's heart can also bring wonderful little surprises. Not to mention – tarab – can only happen with live music.

Today was a perfect example. Za-Beth hired some wonderful musicians for the post-workshop in honor of Faten Salama. A number of them were musicians that had danced with her in the days of El-Morocco - the Legendary Udi Joe Kouyoumjian Enssemble. Joe played the oud, with Hago. Garo was the drummer and he did a great job tonight accompanying the music with great enthusiasm and fast fingers. John joined him on the Riqq. The violinist played soulfully – believe it was Harry Papazian, Garo's father. Hagop Garobedian skillfully played any tune we dancers requested on the keyboard, and sang. If I got any of these names wrong, it was because I had to remember them from the introductions!

We only had 5 minutes, so I requested Raks Leila, originally played for Samia Gamal, but made famous here by George Abdo's version. So it's an Arabic song that most bands around here are familiar with. And, as people learned, it's better to choose a song that the band knows how to play than a song they don't! I usually hesitate to request it because it can be easily confused with the Khaleegy song "Leyla Leyla". But I sang the melody and got my request.

The song and melody was exactly how I expected it, but the surprises came in the middle! I had asked for one taqsim, as Raks Leila customarily has a chiftetelli. I received not one, but two (and possibly three) taqsim breaks! I danced with the oud and I danced with the violin. And I think there was a time when the two instruments wound themselves together, along with the constant accompaniment of Garo's drumming. Having recently been working with Ranya Renee's Taqsim DVD, I felt incredibly lucky to have this chance to experience the taqsim with live musicians. My teacher, Amira Jamal, talks about when you stop thinking when you dance and all you do is feel – I can remember when in this performance I said to myself – "Oh, I'm just going to feel the bliss now – not worry about what I look like!"

The band did a wonderful job playing for everyone today. I love live band performances – even if you aren't thrilled by a particular dancer, you can still dig on the music. And if the dancer and the music are in sync, it's perfection. At the end, they gave us "one final song" that turned out to be a medley of the greatest hits of Arabic, Turkish, and Armenian music – from Mavi Mavi to Ya Mustapha, Ebaad ("Leyla Leyla") to a beautiful chiftetelli.

They announced that they play at Basha Café on Wednesdays and Shiraz in Watertown on Fridays. I hear the food at Shiraz is great, so I may have to make myself a date to go out for music and food!