JawaLast Breaths from Aleppo
Cat-Nr:MZP016
Barcode:5425015559186
Release datum:6/16/2023
Label:Muziekpublique
Labelcode:99999
Genre:World Music/Orient

The rich musical Sufi tradition has been transmitted orally in Aleppo for decades. Jawa’s mission is to preserve this heritage, which has been threatened by the Syrian war. The Sufi masters, who kept the secrets of this musical tradition, are gradually disappearing from the scene, threatening to lose a treasure of songs forever. Jawa Band presents the traditional musical pieces from its personal perspective and its own vision, while preserving the classical way of performing Sufi muwashahat with its complex rhythms and oriental maqams.

As guardians of this rich cultural heritage, Jawa revives the music and does so in a contemporary way. Originally, Sufi music was not played on instruments, but by doing so, Jawa offers a new and more contemporary approach. It is a project of preservation, but also of resistance. They refuse to see a tradition gradually disappear without trying to save it themselves.

Sufi whirling is a form of meditation which is still practiced by the Sufi Dervishes of the Mevlevi order. It is a commonplace meditation practice, through which dervishes aim to reach the source of all perfection. This is sought thru leaving behind one’s nafs or personal desires, by paying attention to the music, focusing on God, and spinning one’s body in repetitive circles, which has been seen as a symbolic imitation of planets withinside the Solar System orbiting the sun. A dervish practices multiple rituals, the primary of which is the dhikr, a remembering of Allah. The dhikr involves recitation of devotional Islamic prayer. This dhikr comes with dancing and whirling, in order to reach a state of “ecstatic trances”.

  • 1Hijaz Hamayun Pesrev01:58
    Music: Veli DeleISRC: BEQ152300001
  • 2Eishqo Aljamal02:22
    Music: TraditionalISRC: BEQ152300002
  • 3Allamo almahboba hajri04:17
    Music: TraditionalISRC: BEQ152300003
  • 4Hajarni Habibi03:49
    Music: TraditionalISRC: BEQ152300004
  • 5Nakhat alrihla03:15
    Music: Yousef ZayedISRC: BEQ152300005
  • 6Billahi wa zahi aljabin03:28
    Music: TraditionalISRC: BEQ152300006
  • 7Yasafa Al-Azman02:34
    Music: TraditionalISRC: BEQ152300007
  • 8Shefaa03:01
    Music: Marwan FakhirISRC: BEQ152300008
  • 9Ayuha Al-uzzal04:03
    Music: TraditionalISRC: BEQ152300009
  • 10Ya murshidana lilhaq02:00
    Music: TraditionalISRC: BEQ152300010
  • 11Taba waqti03:24
    Music: TraditionalISRC: BEQ152300011
  • 12Bahth an alzzaman aldaee02:50
    Music: Tammam AlramadanISRC: BEQ152300012
  • 13Habbat Riaho AL-Ahiba03:27
    Music: TraditionalISRC: BEQ152300013
  • 14Munyati Sida Almilah03:04
    Music: Omar Al-BatshISRC: BEQ152300014
  • 15Qanon sarih04:35
    Music: Youssef NassifISRC: BEQ152300015
  • 16Bahi alsana03:08
    Music: TraditionalISRC: BEQ152300016
  • 17Dari man tahwaho dari03:06
    Music: TraditionalISRC: BEQ152300017
  • 18Yaghussna banen02:02
    Music: TraditionalISRC: BEQ152300018
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Booklet
Musician
  • Hatim Aljamel: dervish
  • Khaled Alhafez: singing
  • Marwan Fakhir: violin
  • Simon Leleux: percussion
  • Tammam Alramadan: nay
  • Yousef Zayed: oud
  • Youssef Nassif: qanun
Mixer
  • Jeremy Saive
Recording Studio
  • Muziekpublique, Molieère Theater/Jeremy Saive
Mastering
  • Jeremy Saive
Cover Artwork
  • Desirée De Winter
Country of recording: BelgiumC2023 MuziekpubliqueP2023 Muziekpublique