Adhan, the call to prayer in CairoBy Jen Reinhardt

A documentary film and audio archive project, Voices and Faces of the Adhan: Cairo aims to tell the story of the adhan, or the Islamic call to prayer, as it has been recited in Cairo for 1400 years. Supported by the Hartley Film Foundation and National Geographic's All Roads Film Project, the film is being produced by On Look Films and director Miguel Silveira, producer Anna Kipervaser and field producer Jeremy Johnson.

In early 2010, the Egyptian government will permanently alter the ancient tradition of the adhan under the Tawheed al Adhan, or Adhan Unification Project, that plans to synchronize the adhan into a single call transmitted via wireless speakers to the city's 4,000 mosques.

 
From Mark LeVine, author of Heavy Metal Islam: Rock, Resistance and the Struggle for the Soul of Islam

Please note: I'm updating this post as I get new emails/tweets/calls from artists in Iran, so keep checking for new material.

Despite a general ban on most forms of popular music by the Islamic government in Iran, rock music has become one of the most vibrant forces for critiquing the various ills of Iranian society, and the basic ideology of the Islamic Republic as well.

Read blog posts from Iran at HuffPo.

 
Songs of Wounded Kinship, a Review of the Town Hall, New York City, ASWAT concert of March 7, 2009

By David Shasha

Poet and scholar Ammiel Alcalay once appropriated the apt phrase "wounded kinship's last resort" in describing the role that music has played in maintaining what little connection is left between Arab Jews and their Middle Eastern compatriots. The place of the master musician Simon Shaheen in this complicated and contested relationship cannot be underestimated. Not only has Shaheen recorded many albums of classic Arabic music, as well as contemporary readings of the tradition, but he has also participated in many of the musical events that have over the years taken place in the Brooklyn Sephardic community. In private homes and synagogues, we have become familiar with the magical art of Simon Shaheen's mastery of this brilliant musical tradition.

By Hanitizer

Since the year 2008 has been one of the better times in terms of Arabic music and great albums. I have decided to put together a comprehensive guide for all major albums releases during the year 2008. A number of Arab artists managed to make a comeback in 2008. Other artists went missing. New stars were born. Some faded a bit. And all in one year. I tried to get as many links as I can in order to give you an idea of the songs or the artist we are praising, roosting, or trashing. Enjoy...

By Mike O'Sullivan

Lazywall with Mark Levine (2nd from left)A thriving music scene in the Middle East blends hard rock with traditional tones and instruments. The sounds of Mideast heavy metal filled a small Los Angeles club, which recently hosted the Turkish singer Kutsal and the Moroccan band Lazywall.

Lazywall arrived in Los Angeles after performing at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.
On stage warming up with the group was a longhaired American musician and Mideast scholar Mark LeVine.

LeVine teaches Middle East history at the University of California, Irvine and is the author of a book called Heavy Metal Islam. It looks at the rock, heavy metal, hip hop and punk music scenes in the Muslim world.

The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, with Marcel Khalifé, makes its international debut Feb. 24This February and March, the Kennedy Center’s ARABESQUE: Arts of the Arab World festival explores that region’s rich culture through theatre, music and dance. The festival runs Feb. 23 to March 15.

From the Persian Gulf to the Levant to North Africa—the Arab world is the birthplace of human civilization and features extraordinary diversity in geography, traditions, landscape, religion, and contemporary aesthetics. The Kennedy Center in cooperation with the League of Arab States presents ARABESQUE: Arts of the Arab World, an international festival showcasing the varied cultures of the 22 Arab nations that represent the Arabic-speaking world. The three-week festival (February 23–March 15) brings together artists, many of whom are making their U.S. debut, in performances of music, dance, and theater, as well as literary discussions, films, and exhibitions featuring art installations, fashion, cuisine, a souk (market), and much more.

Fez DrawingMany entered, but just five names were selected at random in our Fez Drawing at 5 pm on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 to win a pair of tickets to see the Maarifa Street group and Jon Hassell with Tunisian guest artist Dhafer Youssef, at Royce Hall, UCLA, 8 pm.

And the winners are...

Nora Gabbai, Souna Gmira, Suzanne Larky, Marjan Momenan and Elsa Romero.

Contestants included Fathia Abed, inda Almukaddem, Amin Al-Sarraf, Simo Benyoussef, Hadia El-Bardisy, Ali Farjppdo, Nora Gabbai, Sounia   Gmira, Barbara Grover, Kristy Ibarra-Armas, Alyse Korn, Suzanne Larky
InSoon Lee, Mark Levine, Tony Litwinko, Semir Mehmedovic, Gary  Miraz, Marjan Momenan, Lolo Movsessian, Bill Nelson, James Phillips, Brett Ridpath, Elsa Romero, Arghavan Sadeghi, Natasha Safaradi, Naela Sarras, Medeleine Schnell, Clyde Small, Soula Saad, Jahan Staniza, Suzanne Teng, Douglas Thompson, Amir Torabzadeh, Haleh Tsipena, Nils Vidstrand and Lailah Yasmina.

By Babak Nahid

Kiosk (photos by Babak Khiavhi) In the past decade or more, Iranian artists in film, art and music have been working to shed their derivative, Western poses for a more homegrown mash-up of artistic and cultural styles that reflects contemporary Iranian realities.

Kiosk, a San Francisco-based band from Tehran, is a product of this movement, and yet it's one of the first Iranian rock bands with a more universal appeal that speaks not only to Iranians at home and abroad, but also cuts across cultural borders in ways that only music can.

“We play heavy metal because our lives are heavy metal.” —Reda Zine, one of the founders of the Moroccan heavy-metal scene

“Music is the weapon of the future.” —Fela Kuti

Heavy Metal Islam: Rock, Resistance and the Struggle for the Soul of Islam: your purchase benefits LCC programmingMark LeVine is the author of Why They Don't Hate Us, Unveiling the Axis of Evil. In his new book, Heavy Metal Islam: Rock, Resistance and the Struggle for the Soul of Islam, you'll find an eighteen-year-old Moroccan who loves Black Sabbath. A twenty-two-year-old rapper from the Gaza Strip. A young Lebanese singer who quotes Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song.” They are as representative of the world of Islam today as the conservatives and extremists we see every night on the news. Heavy metal, punk, hip-hop, and reggae are each the music of protest, and in many cases considered immoral in the Muslim world. This music may also turn out to be the soundtrack of a revolution unfolding across that world.