Tag: A Trio

Ziad Nawfal Mix for Stegi Radio with guest RAMI ABI RAFI // 06 February 2024

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A monthly selection of alternative, ambient and experimental music from Lebanon and the MENA region, selected by music promoter and label owner Ziad Nawfal – this broadcast features a guest mix by Berlin-based Lebanese DJ, sound artist and photographer RAMI ABI RAFI. Originally commissioned by Stegi Radio and produced by Onassis Stegi.

In Rami’s own words: “In this broadcast entitled INSIJAM, meaning ‘harmony’ in Arabic, the essence of chances and encounters takes center stage. Combining musique concrète with traditional Arabic sounds, the performance shifts between experimental, avant-garde, spoken word, field recordings, and improvised jazz. INSIJAM represents my perspective on the beauty of diverse musical encounters.”

  1. ÉLIANE RADIGUE – Adnos I
  2. PHILL NIBLOCK – Didjeridoos and Don’ts
  3. PAULINE OLIVEROS – Time Perspectives
  4. BANA HAFFAR – Ahl Al Samaa’
  5. RAED YASSIN – Black Risotto With Razor Clams
  6. TWO OR THE DRAGON – Dance Grooves For The Weary -Part I-
  7. FRANZ HAUTZINGER & MAZEN KERBAJ – Kalash 1
  8. RASHAD BECKER – matraquage
  9. RELÂCHE ENSEMBLE – Paul Epstein, “Three Songs from Home
  10. NADAH EL SHAZLY – Breakup By The Sea
  11. MARGARET LENG TAN – Dream
  12. ‘A’ TRIO – Kazdoura
  13. JANA WINDEREN – Live in Den Haag
  14. LAURIE SPIEGEL – Music for Dance II
  15. YOUMNA SABA – Al khayal الخيال
  16. SNAKESKIN (JULIA SABRA & FADI TABBAL) – Past Tense
  17. FAIRUZ – Nassam Alayna El-Hawa

Ziad Nawfal Guest Mix for Movement Radio // 06 December 2022

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Ziad Nawfal’s monthly mix for Movement Radio in Athens, featuring music from Lebanon, Egypt, Belgium and Canada. This mix was commissioned and produced by Onassis Cultural Center, and presented for the first time in the frame of MOVEMENT RADIO.

  1. Jerusalem In My Heart – Ana Lisan Wahad (feat. Farida Amadou & Pierre-Guy Blanchard) [LB/CA/BE]
  2. Abadir – Bass Belly [EG]
  3. TEDTEDTED – Calculators [LB]
  4. Liliane Chlela – Charr [LB]
  5. Rise 1969 – Floating Memory [LB]
  6. Etyen – Goodbye [LB]
  7. Sary Moussa – In Praise of Shadows [LB]
  8. Yara Asmar – it’s always october on sunday [LB]
  9. Elyse Tabet with Pascal Semerdjian & Yara Asmar – Low Toms [LB]
  10. Sandy Chamoun – Nas el Wahel [LB]
  11. Pie Are Squared – Oscillate Thrice [EG]
  12. Maurice Louca – Saet el Hazz (feat. “A” Trio) [EG/LB]
  13. Julia Sabra & Fadi Tabbal – Snakeskin [LB]
Photo by Georges Daou

Al Maslakh Album Release // “A” TRIO // Folk

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Releasing October 07, 2022 on Al Maslakh Records:

“A” Trio is the oldest free improvisation group to come out of Lebanon. It was formed in 2002 by Mazen Kerbaj (trumpet), Sharif Sehnaoui (acoustic guitar), and Raed Yassin (double bass), initially to perform a single concert for the second edition of experimental music festival Irtijal in Beirut, Lebanon. Following the concert, the three musicians went on to record the first free jazz album to be produced in the Arab world (A – La CDthèque Productions, 2003). As time went on, the music they created moved away from its jazz roots towards a more textural approach, relying strongly on prepared and extended techniques in an effort to heavily divert their respective instruments. After working together in trio and various other contexts for many years, Kerbaj, Sehnaoui and Yassin reached a characteristic sound that has been fondly described as “textural swing.” Creative yet simple, acoustic yet powerful, their live performances are playful and rely on a strong visual component.

“A” Trio celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2022, embarking for the occasion on a tour that saw them perform in various parts of Europe and North America in Spring 2022. The trio is releasing two new albums in Fall 2022: a live recording entitled ‘The Binding Third’ for German label Unrock, and this current set of brand new compositions entitled FOLK for Lebanese experimental label Al Maslakh.

Clocking in just below 40 minutes, this new release preserves many of the elements developed by Kerbaj, Sehnaoui and Yassin over the years, both as a trio and in their respective solo practices. Yet Folk also draws from their multiple collaborations with musical collaborators as diverse as celebrated Australian jazz trio The Necks, American folk outlier Alan Bishop (of Sun City Girls fame), and more recently British free improv pioneers AMM.

“A” TRIO:
Mazen Kerbaj – trumpet
Sharif Sehnaoui – acoustic guitar
Raed Yassin – double bass

All music improvised by Kerbaj/Sehnaoui/Yassin.
No cuts, no overdubbing, no use of electronics.
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Rainer Robben at Audio Cue Studio, Berlin, on March 20th, 2018.
Band photograph by Uwe Faltermeier. Artwork & design by Mazen Kerbaj.

Available as a digital album and limited edition vinyl LP with download code.

Listen/Order HERE

Ziad Nawfal for Movement Radio’s “Exploring Mediterranean Futures” // 15 February 2022

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This mix was commissioned by Movement Athens for its radio festival “Exploring Mediterranean Futures” [Feb. 15-19, 2022], a 5-day radio festival focused on the sounds of the Mediterranean, searching for geographical and chronological connections through its culture, ideas and people.

Ziad Nawfal’s mix presents music recorded by various artists and bands from Beirut’s indie and experimental music scenes, between 2010 and 2021. A few of the tracks were officially released in some form or another, some of them are early drafts and demos, and a couple consist of live sessions recorded during Nawfal’s 35-year tenure at Beirut’s crumbling government station Radio Liban.

  1. Fadi Tabbal – After the Fire, Before the End [Unreleased]
  2. Charbel Haber & Sary Moussa – And Yet Another Romance on A Sinking Ship [V/A The Drone Sessions Vol. 1]
  3. Scrambled Eggs & A Trio – Beach Party at Mirna el Chalouhi (Diamond Setter’s Rework) [Unreleased]
  4. The Art of Boo – BoomKaboom [Unreleased]
  5. Safa – Dominant Gene [V/A Lost Archives]
  6. Jad Atoui – FDBCK [Unreleased]
  7. Tres Milliones Dolares – Jon Black [V/A Anthology of Electroacoustic Lebanese Music]
  8. Ziad Moukarzel – Questions of Worry [V/A Anthology of Electroacoustic Lebanese Music]
  9. Court Circuit (Osman Arabi & Heathen) – Ruptured Session February 2010 [Unreleased]
  10. Jawad Nawfal – Nawa Athar 0 (feat. Aya Metwalli) [V/A Istimrar Phase 1]
  11. Abed Kobeissy & Sary Moussa – A Simple Song About Weather & Murder [V/A Istimrar Phase 1]
  12. Aya Metwalli – Red Curtains Forever [Unreleased]
  13. Sharif Sehnaoui & Mazen Kerbaj – Ruptured Session April 2012 [Unreleased]
  14. Jana Saleh – Soupire [V/A Istimrar Phase 1]
  15. Julia Sabra – Three Days [V/A Istimrar Phase 1]
  16. Fadi Tabbal & Julia Sabra – Roots [V/A The Drone Sessions Vol. 1]
  17. Marc Codsi – Untitled #3 [Unreleased]
  18. Youmna Saba – Nafas [V/A Ruptured Sessions Vol. 6: For Beirut]
  19. Anthony Sahyoun – Two Foxes Trotting on A Lane in Qartaba [Unreleased]
  20. Radwan Ghazi Moumneh – Ya Dam’at Al ‘Ain [V/A Ruptured Sessions Vol. 4]

[This mix was commissioned and produced by Onassis Cultural Center, and presented for the first time in the frame of MOVEMENT RADIO]

Ziad Nawfal Guest Mix for Recordat // 07 February 2021

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Another “archival” mix, this one was commissioned for Recordat for their Re:levant series of podcasts; it showcases music recorded by Lebanese artists hailing from different genres and music denominations, between 2003 and 2012.

Some of the tracks are basic demos (Kitano Home Ensemble, Liliane Chlela), others are live versions (Court-Circuit, Kerbaj/Sehnaoui) or studio sessions, a couple were officially released, while overall nothing is properly mastered. They provide a window into a more frivolous, less rigid time, where experimentation and trial-and-error were often the norm.

1. Kitano Home Ensemble – Sunday Afternoon (Unreleased)
2. Liliane Chlela – I Scream (Unreleased)
3. Tarek Atoui / Uriel Barthelemi / Paed Conca – Session 01 (Unreleased)
4. Mazen Kerbaj + Sharif Sehnaoui – Ruptured Session April 2012 (Unreleased)
5. Court Circuit [Osman Arabi + Heathen] – Ruptured Session February 2010 (Unreleased)
6. Ae_Quo [Jawad Nawfal + Victor Bresse] – Maquette 01 (Unreleased)
7. AEX [Jawad Nawfal + Victor Bresse] – Electrolog (Unreleased)
8. Jad Atoui – Code Breaker (Unreleased)
9. OkyDoky & Radiokvm – Ein Souda (Unreleased)
10. Scrambled Eggs & A Trio – Beach Party at Mirna El Chalouhi [Diamond Setter’s Rework] (Unreleased)
11. Youmna Saba – Nasmet Hawa (Unreleased)
12. FEZANT – Message
13. Intensive Care – ficti(on)
14. Spoils & Servants – Saturn Fever (Unreleased)

Ziad Nawfal Guest Mix for Movement Radio 04 // 14 January 2021

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Ziad Nawfal’s 4th monthly mix for Movement Radio in Athens – featuring music from Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Palestine, Turkey, Denmark, Canada and the USA. This mix was commissioned and produced by Onassis Cultural Center, and presented for the first time in the frame of MOVEMENT RADIO.

1. “A” Trio – b [LB]
2. Karkhana – Rock Farock [LB/EG/TR/CA/US]
3. Ilvy – Jonestown [LB]
4. Fadi Tabbal – Ceremony By The Sea [LB]
5. Al Mothlath – Dead Traveler [SY]
6. Abdullah Miniawy & HVAD – The Dirty Canes Lake [EG/DK]
7. Ismael – I Was So [EG]
8. Muudra – Hemshin Breath [SY]
9. Bikya – Sherif [EG]
10. Al Nather – Su3ad [PS]
11. Khan El Rouh – Mount Qaf [SY]
12. Bakisa – Tempiii [LB]
13. El Far3i – Tazkara wo Jawazain [JO]
14. El Rass – نفَس [LB]

Photo by Nour Raad

This Revolution Will Be Televised – Ziad Nawfal’s podcast for hcmf’20 // 22 November 2020

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In this hour-long missive, DJ and curator Ziad Nawfal highlights unreleased and rare music from prominent Lebanese musicians, bringing together ‘realms of experimental and electronic music’ as featured during his time at Irtijal Festival, in his work with the Ruptured record label, and on his long-running shows on Radio Lebanon.
Nawfal’s podcast includes conversations with these artists, providing an oral history of Beirut’s legendary underground:

GHASSAN SALHAB Revolution Intro (sound capture)
.
1. FADI TABBAL – After the fire, before the end (feat. Julia Sabra)
2. YOUMNA SABA – Al Arqām
3. “A” TRIO – b
4. CHARBEL HABER – Beside a monument to whirling nebulas of murderers’ fantasies, dressed in Sunday best, lay the bodies of docile beasts + Charbel Haber on Radio Lebanon, Beirut
5. MARC CODSI – Invocation I
6. AYA METWALLI – Matkhafsh menni + Aya Metwalli on Radio Lebanon, Beirut
7. RADWAN GHAZI MOUMNEH – Qaluli + Radwan Ghazi Moumneh on Radio Lebanon, Beirut
8. SHARIF SEHNAOUI – Overdance
9. TWO OR THE DRAGON – Prelude for the triumphant man [Part 1]
10. JAD ATOUI – FDBCK
11. JAWAD NAWFAL & MAZEN EL-SAYED – Pastless
12. ANTHONY SAHYOUN – Two foxes trotting on a lane in Qartaba + Anthony Sahyoun on Radio Lebanon, Beirut
.
GHASSAN SALHAB Revolution Outro (sound capture)

Read more about the podcast and Beirut’s Musicians Relief Fund here.

Ziad Nawfal Guest Mix for Radio Alhara // 21 October 2020

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Ziad Nawfal’s monthly mix for Radio Alhara in Bethlehem – featuring music from Lebanon, Iran, Sweden, France and the USA:

1. Jerusalem in My Heart – Bein Ithnein [LB]
2. Richard Pinhas – Circle [FR]
3. Bada – Fogden [SE]
4. Ilvy – Gargantua [LB]
5. Tony Elieh – It’s Good to Die Every Now and Then (Part 2) [LB]
6. Christine Ott – Darkstar [FR]
7. Oiseaux-Tempête – Out of Sight [FR]
8. Annunaki Signal – Sector [IR]
9. “A” Trio – Over [LB]
10. Fire! – She Bid A Meaningless Farewell [SE]
11. Bent Arcana – Sprites [US]

Ruptures Radio Show // 12 August 2016

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Friday 12 August 2016, Radio Lebanon 96.2FM (8-9pm)

1. Alif: I’tiraf (iq/eg/ps/lb)
2. Tamer Abu Ghazaleh: Takhabot (ps)
3. Karkhana: Nafas (lb/ca/eg/us/tr)
4. Shalabi Effect: Beauty Queen Crime Scene (ca)
5. Malayeen: Najwa (lb)
6. ‘A’ Trio & Alan Bishop: Gently Johnny (us/lb)
7. Dwarfs Of East Agouza: Hungry Bears Don’t Dance (us/ca/eg)
8. Nadim Mishlawi: Dream 5 (lb)
9. Kid Fourteen: It’s A Lovely Night (lb)
10. Heroes and Villains: Before The Film (lb/ca)
11. Wake Island: Bend Again (lb/ca)
12. Seamus Cater: Smoking And Smiling (uk)
13. Scrambled Eggs: Building A Nest (lb)

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(2011 end-of-year lists) – MAZEN KERBAJ

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I asked some of my favorite musicians from Beirut and beyond, to tell me what their favorite records of 2011 were…

In the case of improv musician Mazen Kerbaj (whose many projects include A-Trio, Johnny Kafta’s Anti-Vegetarian Orchestra, and AnArchy TV), here’s a list of the records he listened to the most in 2011:

– Evan Parker: Monoceros
– Sun City Girls: Gum Arabic
– Peter Brötzmann: Machine Gun
– Vinko Globokar: Discours II / Sequenza V / Solo Für Melodie-Instrument Mit Rückkopplung / Consecuenza
– Mike Cooper: Radio Paradise
– Sweet Smoke: Just A Poke
– La Monte Young: The Well Tuned Piano (boxset)
– Captain Beefheart: The Mirror Man Sessions
– Bill Dixon: Odyssey / Solo Works (boxset)
– Brigitte Fontaine: Comme à la Radio