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Al Andaluz Project Breathes New Life to Ancient Music of Al-Andalus
Recently selected by the monthly chart of the Transglobal World Music Chart, the album of Al Andaluz Project – The Songs of Iman Kandoussi – Traditional Arabic Andalusian is a breath of fresh air for our playlist here at Music Press Asia.
The latest release, The Songs of Iman Kandoussi, presents the dazzling Moroccan singer’s art enriching the Arab-Andalusian musical heritage.
Representing each of their cultural traditions is emotive vocalist Sigrid Hausen (Germany), Mara Aranda (Spain) and Iman Kandoussi (Morocco).
Released and published by Galileo Music Communication GmbH, the Al Andaluz Project is a compilation of four studio albums and live recording made between 2006 and 2013. And was later performed across Europe.
The result mix of Sephardic Jewish, Christian and Arabic styles, against a lush backing that includes Middle Eastern instruments such as the saz and qanun, and hand-percussion such as the Indian tabla.
The group aims to revive the intertwined traditions of Jewish-Sephardic, Christian and Arab-Andalusian music after members of the German ensemble Estampie attended a performance by Spanish band Aman Aman during Munich’s Jewish Culture Days in 2005.
Artist: Al Andaluz Project
Composer, Lyricist: Michael Popp
Composer, Lyricist: Mara Aranda
Composer, Lyricist: Aziz Samsaoui
Music Publisher: Galileo Music Communication GmbH
Rooted in the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba’s golden with tradition that spans centuries, its music features poetic kharjas, multilingual compositions discovered in the mid-20th century that illustrate the region’s cultural interweaving.
Once a cultural hub under Moorish rule, the influence of Al-Andalus shaped North Africa’s Maghreb region’s musical identity after the fall of the last Islamic kingdom in Spain.
The Arabic name Al-Andalus was originally applied by the Muslims (Moors) to the entire Iberian Peninsula; it likely refers to the Vandals who occupied the region in the 5th century.
Buy the song here.
Music related to the region?
Flamenco is the music commonly associated with the Andalusian Roma of southern Spain. The roots of flamenco, though somewhat mysterious, seem to lie in the Roma migration from Rajasthan (in northwest India) to Spain between the 9th and 14th centuries.
Other music include the seguidilla, a Spanish folk dance verse widely used in Spanish folk songs.
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