Omar Souleyman is a musician from Ra's al-'Ayn,
Syria, in the northeastern
region of Syria,
born in 1966. He began his career in 1994, working with a number of musicians
with whom he still performs. There are purportedly more than five hundred
studio & live albums that have been released under his name. An estimated
eighty percent of those releases are recordings made at weddings that were then
presented to the married couple. Later many of these were copied & sold at
local Syrian kiosks.
Omar Souleyman qualifies
as a cultural phenomenon. Highway to Hassake was his first Western
release. The album was compiled by Sublime Frequencies' Mark Gergis from cassettes
recorded between 1996 & 2006. Most tracks were recorded for release
straight from the mixing board at live events, making for often less-than-ideal
sound quality. However, the performances are generally spirited enough to make
up for the sonic flaws.
Souleyman is a
charismatic performer. His rich, flexible voice dives into the frantic numbers
(mostly in dabke style, typical Syrian party music), classical Arabic
mawal-style vocalizations & ever so soulful in ataba songs (a mournful song
style). Among his other influences are Iraqi choubi & Turkish pop music.
Omar is also surrounded by highly talented musicians, including oud players
Hamid Souleyman & Ali Shakir, & keyboardist Rizan Sa'id, whose
lightning-fast solos can put Rick Wakeman to shame.
This amalgamation is the
sound of Syria. The music often has an overdriven sound consisting of phase-shifted
Arabic keyboard solos & frantic rhythms. Oud, reeds, baglama saz,
accompanying vocals, & percussion fill out the sound. Mahmoud Harbi, a
long-time collaborator is the man responsible for much of the poetry sung by
Souleyman. Omar Souleyman is a man of striking musical integrity. His style is
his own, he is a singular original.
.
Omar Souleyman - Highway to Hassake / Folk and Pop Sounds of Syria 2xLP,
Sublime Frequencies
SF031, 2009.
Side A –
Leh Jani
Dabke 2001
Atabat (2)
Side B –
Alkhatiba Zaffouha
Jani
Jalsat Atabat
Side C –
Jani (2)
Alshikhani
Don’t Wear Black, Green
Suits You Better
Bashar Ya Habib Al Shaab
Side D –
Arabic Dabke
Toul Al Zeenah
Atabat
Enjoy,
NØ