Tag: Mazen Kerbaj

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

Al Maslakh Album Release // SAWT OUT // Black Current

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Releasing 28 June 2023 on Al Maslakh:

Since its foundation in 2015, Berlin-based trio SAWT OUT has shaped and refined its profile as a prominent improvisational unit. With their unusual acoustic instrumentation of trumpet and two sets of percussion, the three artists create bewildering sound-worlds rich in detail and musical interaction.

“Black Current” is their second studio album, and features a different approach than its predecessor from 2019. While the latter was more representative of the sudden changes and machine-like precision heard in the group’s live performances, individual ideas emerge at a slower pace on this new album, and musical material rather flows in currents through the group, often blurring its instrumental origins, while shifting and transforming from one player to another. Nevertheless there’s an extraordinary tightness to the group’s interplay throughout the four tracks, sometimes giving the impression of one collective brain being distributed among three musicians, where each slight change of a musical element directly affects all the others.

Sawt Out:
Burkhard Beins – percussion
Mazen Kerbaj – trumpet
Michael Vorfeld – percussion

All music by Beins / Kerbaj / Vorfeld
Recorded by Sawt Out at ausland, Berlin on 2, 3 and 4 July 2020.
Mixed by Burkhard Beins. Mastered by Werner Dafeldecker.
Artwork & design by Mazen Kerbaj.

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

Listen/Order HERE

Photo by Cristina Marx

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 Radio Ma3azef – Jerusalem In My Heart Edition // 08 December 2021

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Canadian indie label Constellation and Ma3azef resident Ziad Nawfal join forces to curate a 60mn mix of music based on and around Lebanese/Canadian duo Jerusalem In My Heart‘s album “Qalaq”, released in October 2021. Featuring several cuts from the album, as well as selected tracks from its outstanding list of contributors.

1. Jerusalem In My Heart – Abyad Barraq
2. Tim Hecker – Acephale
3. Le Révélateur (Roger Tellier-Craig & Sabrina Ratté) – Afterimage Selves
4. Pacha (Pierre-Guy Blanchard) – Ankara
5. Jerusalem In My Heart – Bein Ithnein
6. Moor Mother – Big Crime
7. Lucrecia Dalt – Disuelta
8. Body Meπa (Greg Fox / Sasha Frere-Jones / Melvin Gibbs / Grey McMurray) – Bullitt
9. Rabih Beaini – Light Within a Light
10. OISEAUX-TEMPÊTE – Out of Sight
11. “A” Trio (Mazen Kerbaj / Sharif Sehnaoui / Raed Yassin) – Over
12. Radwan Ghazi Moumneh – Qaluli (They Told Me)
13. Jerusalem In My Heart – Tanto
14. Alanis Obomsawin – Odana

Ziad Nawfal Guest Mix for Radio Ma3azef // 08 September 2021

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Ziad Nawfal’s monthly mix for Radio Ma3azef in Tunis, featuring artists from Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Indonesia and Canada:

1. Kinematik – Al Jadi (Capricorn)
2. Senyawa – Alkisah I [Anthony Sahyoun Remix]
3. NP [Anthony Sahyoun & Jad Atoui] – Anteater
4. Bergsonist – Aquatic Empathy
5. Khaled Omran – Arak
6. Calamita – Sidi Mansour
7. KOZO – Take On Kikutake
8. Omarchestra [Osman Arabi, Umut Çağlar, Tony Elieh, Charbel Haber, Maurice Louca, Sharif Sehnaoui, Sam Shalabi & Fadi Tabbal] – King Hassan
9. Johnny Kafta Anti-Vegetarian Orchestra [Tony Elieh, Charbel Haber, Mazen Kerbaj, Malek Rizkallah, Sharif Sehnaoui & Raed Yassin] – Bedo’s Lullaby
10. Ilvy – Gargantua
11. Spoils & Servants – The Sea Inside

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

SHARIF SEHNAOUI // 2nd Ruptured Session with MAZEN KERBAJ for Irtijal’12 // 02 April 2012

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Sharif Sehnaoui, Mazen Kerbaj and Hadi Saleh, co-curators of Irtijal Festival‘s 12th edition (April 4-12), were the guests of Ruptures for a presentation of the festival’s program. The show was book-ended by two live performances from the Kerbaj/Sehnaoui duo.

Listen:

Track listing:
Mazen Kerbaj & Sharif Sehnaoui LIVE
Jim Denley
Eric Chenaux
Igorrr
Niveau Zero
Osman Arabi
Jad Atoui
Liliane Chlela
Mazen Kerbaj & Sharif Sehnaoui LIVE


 

 

Photos by Tanya Traboulsi

(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