David Parfitt - 6-7-2006 at 01:10 AM
Rahim Alhaj, Iraqi Oud Virtuoso & Composer
will be performing at
The Kennedy Center, Millennium Stage
Sunday, June 18, 2006, 6:00 – 7:00 pm
as part of the National Release Tour for his new
Smithsonian Folkways Recording CD:
When the Soul is Settled: Music of Iraq
Rahim Alhaj, world-renowned Iraqi oud musician and composer, will perform original compositions and traditional Iraqi music at the Kennedy Center on
Sunday, June 18. Mr. Alhaj was born in Baghdad, Iraq, and classically trained on the oud at the prestigious Baghdad Institute under Munir Bashir. He
performed extensively throughout the Middle East and Europe, relocating to the US as a political refugee in 2000. Since then, he has performed at
hundreds of venues throughout the U.S.
Rahim’s concept of cross-cultural bridging and understanding between the West and Arab world, as well as his focus on peace and compassion, are
extremely timely. His incredible contemporary musical compositions, rooted in traditional Iraqi maqams, have been well-received by audiences
worldwide. Mr. Alhaj’s third CD, the cutting-edge, Friendship: Rahim Alhaj, Oud and Sadaqa String Quartet, was released in December 2005, produced
by Fast Horse Recordings. Mr. Alhaj’s initial solo CDs: Second Baghdad, 2002 and Iraqi Music in a Time of War (Live in NYC), 2003, with Vox Lox
Recordings, have received high acclaim and are featured on NPR's Studio 360 and played often on Amy Goodman's, Democracy Now. His website is: http://www.rahimalhaj.com.
Hosam - 6-18-2006 at 05:51 PM
I went to this performance today and had the pleasure to meet and talk to Rahim Alhaj after the show. Very humble person and a great artist. All his
The CDs are very good,
Especially the last one When the Soul is Settled: Music of Iraq
You can watch the performance here
http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/artist_detail.cfm...
oudman - 6-19-2006 at 05:42 AM
Was the new cd released yet?
Hosam - 6-19-2006 at 03:49 PM
I did buy the new CD (When the Soul is Settled: Music of Iraq) from the Kennedy center after the performance . But I could not find it at http://www.folkways.si.edu/index.html or at http://www.smithsonianglobalsound.org/