TAQS.IM Middle Eastern Music

Antranig Kzirian sits down with Becca Stevens, Ara Dinkjian, Ismail Lumanovski, and Tamer Pinarbaşi to discuss their new collaboration entitled "Becca Stevens and The Secret Trio". 2021 GRAMMY-nominated Becca Stevens was in awe witnessing The Secret Trio's performance at the GroundUP Music Festival a few years ago. The Secret Trio is made up of an oudist, kanunist and clarinetist who came together to create a new type of chamber music, combining the elements of sound, texture and rhythm with new and interesting approaches to their instruments. They perform original pieces and traditional melodies that fuse the microtonal modes and improvisation of the Middle East, dance beats of the Balkans, and elements of jazz, rock, classical and world music. The Secret Trio has played at the most prestigious venues throughout Turkey, including Cemal Reşit Rey Hall. Michael League, Snarky Puppy bandleader and founder of GroundUP Music, wrote most of the songs with Becca for the Becca Stevens & The Secret Trio album along with producing it. The record focuses on blending Becca's effortless vocal talent and exquisite compositions with The Secret Trio's mastered musical traditions. Becca is a highly respected collaborator and has worked with the likes of David Crosby, Jacob Collier, Brad Mehldau, Esperanza Spalding, and more. Topics include: Discussion of the project from the artists' perspective. Dinkjian comments that it's about music and people, and working with such talented individuals makes the music the easy part. Stevens enjoys playing with The Secret Trio (TST) and they all have a great relationship in the collaboration, having met in the studio after learning about each other at a festival in Florida. Dinkjian explains that Michael League flew to Turkey to see a TST concert and then invited TST to perform at the GroundUp music festival in Miami. Stevens was a performer at the same festival, and asked League for the "can't miss" set and League immediately mentioned TST – Stevens was blown away by the group, and her musician colleague Jamie Haddad said "that's your next band", and League arranged for them to all meet and plan a project to work together. Discussion of the dynamics of bringing different artists in a fusion collaboration together to meld their talents and work to put out new material. Dinkjian explained that the recording was a bit of a different experience and the tunes were being learned in the studio by TST, as Stevens and League had written several tunes – this was a departure for Dinkjian, as he writes, arranges and rehearses, and executes compositions in the studio, whereas this was more of a creative process unfolding in real-time in the studio, and this stretched out his experience on the oud and was an exciting situation and a gift for him to learn from working with Stevens – and Dinkjian's background is in some ways similar and different to the rest of TST's members as is of Armenian descent, but was also born in America. The objective was to make the music bigger with their instruments. Dinkjian notes the significance and example of the album "West meets East" by Yehudi Menuhin and Ravi Shankar, which was one of the first fusion records from back in the mid-1960s. In relation, this new style surfacing with Stevens was something to notice and experience for TST. Lumanovski explains that the album unfolding was quite natural. Melodically simple structures emerged and were easy for the group to incorporate and together they found a common feeling and fit to project in their performance. Lumanovski remarks that Western music has a different feel rhythmically and this was an exposure for the group and it was an essential part of the recording, but concedes that it was a challenge to reach that point. Discussion of "We Were Wrong" and the modal characteristics of the melody with contrasting vocals, and how this juxtaposition is not common in western music. Stevens remarked that League is a bassist and works with Snarky Puppy, and dabbles with other instruments, including the oud. League would send voice memos of ideas, and "We Were Wrong" was one of those ideas. Stevens describes it as pastoral and spacious and that it inspired her as she developed the melodies for that song, and the music video was the result of open requests on social media for clips of dancers from all over the world. Chris McQueen (Snarky Puppy) helped them by editing the video footage which gives the viewer the feel of comprehensively choreographed footage, along with footage overseas from Turkey for more of the "West meets East" vibe. Dinkjian explains that League initiated many ideas on the oud, and for Dinkjian as an oud player he observed League's approach as being quite different from his own, and the experience League provided for him was to broaden his work on the oud. Stevens notes that Charango, which is of Peruvian origin, and Ukelele are used on this track which gave it a mandolin, or harp-like sound toward the end of the track. Dinkjian notes that with Lumanovski and Pinarbasi, TST itself has a decent amount of experience playing western and classical music, and that the real new component of the project was Stevens and League and the specific flavor that they have, and they found their place in their world. Stevens loved the group when she discovered them, but she was especially fascinated with the kanun as she grew up listening to Appalachian folk music and is thus familiar with the hammer dulcimer. When Stevens learned that Pinarbasi plays the kanun differently than most with his fingers, it really stood out. Discussion of "The Eye" and the haunting oud counterpoint of the track. Stevens was inspired to discover and research poets from Armenia, Turkey, and Macedonia, and she found Nikola Madzirov and was drawn to his contemporary feeling. Through Lumanovski's contacts, they were able to locate this poet, who had just dealt with a harrowing case of covid. They were able to meet, and Madzirov was quite helpful and passionate about assisting the project, and was fascinated that Stevens had found an unpublished poem of his to use for a song. Discussion of "California", which Dinkjian believes is the "least out" of the album's tracks. Paul Curreri wrote "California" and Stevens has been a fan of his and she kept this in mind for the record and League chose this song to be included, and Stevens notes this track is a bit of a "wild card" that stands apart from the other songs But this also led to a marriage of the sound between Stevens and TST, and her role on the guitar ties things together a bit more on this track, and "California" is a bit more folky and than the rest of the record. The album came out on 9/17, and the album release show was 9/13, so the group is in the midst of rehearsals and preparation and they are looking for more opportunities to continue with the project. Dinkjian explains that Stevens has a following in Europe and TST does as well, so they hope to take this throughout the world as an example of music to promote the project. Dinkjian notes that oud players are trained to make the singer as comfortable as possible, so he would bring two ouds to accommodate the vocalist. The group's song "Bring it Back" is featured at the end of the interview.

Persian Kanun Master Emad Shakuri joins the podcast. He discusses how he started playing the kanun, performing with a multitude of musicians, world music and his approach to arranging music. Topics Include: Spent time in Sweden, Iran and Turkey, where he bought a Kanun in Istanbul and used to practice 10 hours a day in Stockholm, in part due to his situation as an immigrant In Iran, the santur was more common, and it was interesting to try an instrument that wasn't as prominent in the kanun, and his father made instruments (tar, santur and several others) Interacted with various Middle Eastern and Eastern European ethnic groups in Sweden, and used his playing of the kanun to mix all these styles together Found it fascinating to blend Persian, Kurdish and Turkish styles, and is close with Taksim Trio, which have performed on his recordings Shakouri has recorded 120+ albums as a producer/arranger Various kanun samples by Shakouri on the podcast, where he demonstrates his style His origins are in northern Iran, near the Caspian Sea, but has traveled all over the world Varies the different quarter tone possibilities for creative optionality, mixing and matching modes He plays with all his fingers on both hands, not with picks Traveled to South America with his University studies, and was exposed to a lot of different musical influences to incorporate into his playing, including flamenco Works with top singers throughout the Middle East for both recordings and performances, including top Lebanese artists like George Wasouf, George Arasy, Hany Shaker from Egypt, Angham from Egypt, Hata Muraghi and Habib Ali from Iraq, Koza Masayer, Ibrahim Tatlises, Emra with Jaylan, Emalsayin, Moraham Ahmati from Albania, Pandoura from Macedonia, Hamza from Macedonia, Spiros Kotis from Greece, Moeen (for nearly 20 years) and Googoosh from Iran, Mahashti, Khaliji, Nabil Shahil, and scores of others, including with jazz and fusion artists The concept of music as teamwork for Shakouri, and gaining experience by working with others, for example listening to different forms of improvisation Shakouri's first instrument was Zarb/Toumbek to learn tempo and rhythm, Percussion instruments from Iran to learn time, and he studied at his father's music school - his second instrument was the tar Instruments were forbidden for a time during his childhood during Khomeini's time, and his father's factory made instruments and had influence over this controversial dynamic At the age of 8 years old, he performed in front of a crowd over 2000 people Shakouri's brother is also a music producer, but more traditional Persian style influences Spent time with Ustad Shahid Parvis one of the most revered Sitar players For compositions and arrangement, he engages artists and singers to see how they approach their music Shakouri's signature is writing for string sections, with a Turkish string section, because they play all styles well Discusses how many Arab and Turkish music scales are originally from Persian, Armenian or Azeri culture Discussion of how instruments may move from region to region and different cultures may adopt and even improve the playing of these instruments beyond the original versions and styles Works with William Ross at Capital Studios and Persian artist Moeen, providing middle eastern style music for movie soundtrack projects and pop song recordings, incorporating kanun and also Turkish strings Has shared his arrangements with Ibrahim Tatlises, with a compliment that Oylesef, that Shakouri's arrangement was more impressive than the original Advice for new players is to listen to different kinds of music and various styles from all over the world to learn something, with an example of how Indian glissando vocals and sitar concepts helped him develop his style

Danny Shamoun, a Los-Angeles based multi-instrumentalist originally hailing from Detroit, discusses how he started with Middle Eastern Music and transitioned to performing with System of a Down (SOAD), joining Scars of Broadway as a keyboardist, learning the Arabian Ney Flute and the impact of music theory and Makam modal based music. Topics include: Discussion of how Shamoun's interest in music blossomed early, from the very young age of 3 with listening and watching to an Ibraham Tatlises video Shamoun's youth in Detroit featured exposure to various ethnic groups like Chaldeans, Lebanese, Syrians, etc., and his parents frequently attended Arabic music banquets as opposed to rock concerts like what he saw others doing around him Shamoun was impacted by seeing musicians and their lifestyle and that influenced his interest in music, and he also noticed a little bit of "funk" from the music scene which piqued his interest At a local community festival, Shamoun was goaded into playing the dumbek on stage with the Levendes, a prominent Greek ensemble based out of the Detroit area, and he started to take note of the various time signatures and began learning about Greek music and prominent Greek singers Over time, Shamoun took his practicing quite seriously, and began studying with Johnny Seduwet to learn music theory which prepared him very well for the rest of his musical career Shamoun later traveled from Detroit to California and became involved in the music scene through an introduction to hard rock band One Side Zero, where he was able to meet and work with Ray Mayorga and was also introduced to John Dolmayan from System of a Down, and other bands such as Viza and The Apex Theory, and even a brush with Metallica Shamoun was invited to perform with System of a Down on stage to do a dumbek solo during various shows, which was a very inspirational to him as an aspiring musician, which led to his relationship with System guitarist Daron Malakian and his eventual work with Malakian's side project Scars on Broadway Shamoun began working with System with PA work and Malakian's guitar pedal controls during System concerts, which really helped him learn about production and sound, and became good friends with Mike Bordin from Faith No More as they all toured together Shamoun then began work with Scars on Broadway, and expanded from dumbek and percussion to keyboard playing to round out the band's sound Shamoun came full circle from his music theory training with Seduwet as a youth and applied his knowledge on the keyboard, including his makam training which he could play on his Yamaha PSR 62 (which can play quarter tones), and then began taking piano lessons at the suggestion of Malakian and studied with Howard Richmond in Los Angeles which improved his playing Shamoun really focused on practicing and studying and preparing for Scars recordings and tours Discussion of Shamoun as a unique musician with his background and involvement in both middle eastern music and rock music Shamoun then turned his attention to the Ney (Middle Eastern flute), which expanded his musical horizons dramatically and Shamoun recorded Ney on Viza's Aria record Ali Jihad Rasy at UCLA took Shamoun under his wing where Shamoun was able to key in on his Ney playing and also Shamoun started scoring films, in particular for a movie named "The Queen of the Desert" with such actors as Nicole Kidman, Daniel Day Lewis and James Franco Shamoun recently released an original song and music video where his percussion and Ney work are featured in "Seaside Sultress", part of his ambient music projects for film scoring Shamoun's group "The Global Trance Ensemble" is on various social media platforms Shamoun also worked at a studio in Detroit where he ran in to master kanunist Ara Topouzian which involved so much experience learning about studio life and techniques which had an enormous impact on his musical development Discussion of the uniqueness of the Ney with a double reed sound and embouchure technique which is exceedingly difficult to make a tone on the Ney, and the similarities in spirit of the "fresh water" instruments made of wood such as the oud Podcast listeners can enjoy the end of the podcast which features Shamoun's track "Seaside Sultress"

Joseph Tayoun, an accomplished percussionist and educator specializing in Middle Eastern and World music based in Philadelphia discusses the history of Philadelphia's Middle East Night Club, his experience playing in a multitude of world music projects and his Star Trek Party band, The Roddenberries, upcoming release. Topics include: Tayoun as the torchbearer of the Philadelphia middle eastern music scene, an accomplished percussionist and the time spent at his family's establishment "The Middle East" restaurant as part of the trendy middle eastern music scene. Discussion of the diverse array of middle eastern cultures playing music together. Tayoun's background starting up as a drummer playing with various musicians of different backgrounds. Belly dancing and live music 7 nights a week was truly a special time for Tayoun as a youngster Tayoun's father played the oud and he was immersed in live performance of Arabs, Armenians, Turks, Greeks, etc. Ray Merjanian (oud), Najib Nassar (organ), Chick Ganimian (oud) and Tayoun played with Chick when Tayoun was only 14 years old. Chick was known for his expressive and unique style of playing featuring syncopation and Tayoun was impacted greatly by this. Chick also played with Herbie Mann. Tayoun also played with Farhak Alpar (Saz), Garip (violin), Edmund Joseph (percussion/vocals), Joseph Budway (oud), Bobby Sarkissian (clarinet) and various others. The Middle East restaurant was the music hub for this style for many years (along with Café Yaz) until about 1997, and how some other restaurants offered late night music (Greek spots like Little Pete's and also Buffalo Bills in West Philadelphia), and the emergence of the Nile restaurant. The Middle East booked shows with No Doubt and Bo Diddley, in addition to the standard Middle Eastern scene. Edmund Joseph's arrival from Iran and his impact on the Middle Eastern music scene in both Philadelphia and New York City. Tayoun's early years developing as a percussionist watching his father and the older musicians, and starting with tambourine and then percussion. Hamid Dolbashi's performances with ney and zurna and his command of the music and how easily he fit in with other musicians. Tayoun's time playing music with his future brother-in-law Roger Mgrdichian, and their strong onstage chemistry. Going from rock to fusion, with projects like Barakka and also Jaffna which features a tabla, oud and guitar, and how this has had an impact on his playing and keeping him sharp. Tayoun works with emotionally disturbed children in Morrisville, PA and shares his music and drumming which is very beneficial to the brain. Works with various musicians from all over the world, including Chinese and even sci-fi related artists (a Star Trek tribute band named "The Roddenberries") at Fringe Festival. For the 50th Anniversary of the creation of Star Trek, Rod Roddenberry (Gene Roddenberry's son) hired Tayoun and the band to perform in Las Vegas. Tayoun's advice for playing percussion in the Middle Eastern style. The upcoming Middle East tribute night at Frankie Bradleys on June 13th with live music and belly dancers The upcoming CD Release party on June 27th at the World Cafe Live in Philadelphia for The Roddenberries

Andrew sits down and interviews Oud master John Berberian about his life, 50-year career in music, balancing work and the arts and performing throughout the country. Topics Include: Working with record labels making albums with Mainstream Records, Verve Forecast, RCA and MGM starting in the early 1960s The thriving Middle Eastern music scene of Berberian's early years, and the mixing and collaboration of different cultures Berberian's father's role as an oud player in his musical development, and the initial design to start with the violin Using western classical approaches to play Middle Eastern music The comparison of Ravi Shankar and the Sitar to the industry effort to promote the oud The landmark oud rock album Berberian's love of Arab music Discussion of different types of oud playing The symbiotic relationship of the oud and the guitar and making music with these instruments together Advice to those learning the oud

Welcome to the first episode of the TAQS.IM Middle Eastern Music Podcast, which discusses playing, performing and appreciating Arabic, Armenian, Assyrian, Balkan, Greek, Kurdish, Persian, Turkish music and more. Topics Include: Introduction to the TAQS.IM podcast with Andrew Kzirian and Aram Hovagimian of TAQS.IM, focusing on Middle-Eastern music TAQS.IM is your gateway to Middle Eastern sound Background and discussion of the TAQS.IM project and the meaning of the term musically and figuratively Overview of the 3 main TAQS.IM elements of community, sounds and education TAQS.IM's free radio station featuring various artists and different styles of music TAQS.IM's blog posts which discuss various topics in Middle-Eastern music and the newsletter TAQS.IM's synth sounds and libraries TAQS.IM music and rhythm app for iPad (iPhone coming soon with scale converter) One man band discussion about Khatchig Jingirian Sample libraries are already available TAQS.IM is working on new recordings for sample libraries moving forward (i.e. the oud) TAQS.IM offers instructional videos for oud lessons