HAMID AL-SAADI WITH SAFAAFIR PROGRAM NOTES

Al-Maqām al-Iraqi is the urban classical vocal music of Iraq. Found primarily in the cities of Baghdad, Mosul, Kirkuk, and Basra, the Maqām repertoire draws upon musical styles of the many populations in Iraq, such as the Bedouins, rural Arabs, Kurds, and Turkmen as well as neighboring Persians, Turks, and other populations that have had extensive contact with Iraq throughout history. The term, maqām, is found in musical traditions throughout the Middle East, Central Asia, and North Africa, and generally refers to the mode or scale on which compositions or improvisations are based. In Iraq, maqam refers to the composition itself.

Each Maqām (pl. Maqamat) is based on a specific mode, which is usually microtonal, and follows a unique formal structure. No two maqāmat at have the exact same form, yet they each contains the same structural components. The poetic genre for each Maqām is prescribed – certain Maqāmat are sung in Classical Arabic, others in Iraqi dialect - but the vocalist chooses which poem he or she will recite, making each performance unique. Some the Maqāmat are accompanied by a rhythmic ostinato in the accompanying ensemble, but the singing is melismatic and rhythmically free. In performance, each Maqam is followed by rhythmic songs, known as pestaat.

Al-Maqam al-Iraqi is a highly complex form that takes years of disciplined study to completely master, and today there are only a few active performers left in and outside of Iraq. Inscribed by UNESCO on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2003, the Maqam is considered by practitioners and experts to be nearly extinct.

INDIVIDUAL BIOGRAPHIES

Through his powerful and highly ornamented voice, and in his comprehensive knowledge of the intricate details of the music and poetry of Iraq, generations and layers of the maqam tradition resonate through Hamid al-Saadi’s magnificent presence on stage. The only person in his generation to have memorized and mastered all 56 maqamat from the Baghdadi repertoire, Al-Saadi is one of the few vocalists who is keeping the maqam alive today, at a time when so many elements of this profound tradition are in danger of extinction.

Born in Iraq in 1958, Hamid Al-Saadi’s artistic, musical and scholarly journey with the Iraqi maqam began from childhood, inspired by his avid love of the Iraqi and Baghdadi culture, the Arabic language, music and poetry. He studied, practiced, and performed the maqam until he became one of the more renowned and highly acclaimed musicians and scholars in this subject. He learned the art of singing and performing the Iraqi maqam from the legendary Yusuf Omar (1918-1987), who pronounced Al-Saadi as his successor. Muhammed Al-Gubbenchi (1901-1989) who taught Omar and was probably the most influential maqam reciter in history, said that he considered Al-Saadi to be the “ideal link to pass on the maqam to future generations.” Al-Saadi emigrated to the United States on an Artist Protection Fund Fellowship, and teaches weekly classes in Iraqi Maqam at Sarah Lawrence College, in addition to performing and touring around the U.S.

Amir ElSaffar is an Iraqi-American composer, trumpeter, santur player, and vocalist working at the intersections between jazz, Western classical, and Maqam music of Iraq and the Middle East. An expert jazz trumpeter with a classical background, ElSaffar has created techniques to play microtones and ornaments idiomatic to Arabic music that are not typically heard on the trumpet. He is also one of the few musicians in his generation to master the centuries-old Iraqi maqam tradition, which he performs actively as a vocalist and santur (Iraqi hammered dulcimer) player. As a composer, ElSaffar has created a unique microtonal harmonic language that merges the Arabic maqam modal system with contemporary Western harmony. ElSaffar tours internationally with several ensembles, including his six-piece Two Rivers Ensemble and 17-piece Rivers of Sound Orchestra, which combine elements of jazz, contemporary music, and Maqam. He also leads Safaafir, currently the only ensemble in the U.S. that performs Iraqi Maqam with its traditional instrumentation. ElSaffar has received commissions in the US, Europe, and the Arab world, including compositions for symphony orchestras, string quartets and small chamber ensembles, large and small jazz ensembles, Middle Eastern music ensembles, as well as hybrid projects with Raga, Flamenco, and Subsaharan African trance music, and was the composer-in-residence of the Transcultural Music program at the Royaumont Foundation in France (2016-2019). ElSaffar is a recipient of the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award (2013), United States Artists Fellowship (2018), and a Hodder Fellowship at Princeton University (2020-2021).

Dena El Saffar is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, teacher and recording artist who has performed throughout the US as well as in Europe and the Middle East. Dena is the founder and leader of Salaam (SalaamBand.com), which focuses on music of the Arab World. Salaam has released 9 albums, and was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered. Specializing in violin, viola, joza and ‘oud, she has a long list of recording projects and has toured and performed with countless ensembles. She teaches the class Music of the Silk Road at Indiana University.

Tim Moore had his first professional performance at the age of 12. In the ensuing decades, he’s played thousands of shows, providing the backbeat for countless bands. In 1993, he left his computer “day job” in order to fully devote his time to music. Around this time, he began learning Middle Eastern rhythms and techniques, using these skills in Salaam, and other ensembles, such as Safaafir, and Rivers of Sound. Tim is a multi-instrumentalist, recording artist and composer.