Peace in Damascus: Gaida and "Salam bin Dimashq"

Syrian singer Gaida, who has been dubbed "The Syrian Nightingale," brings us today's random tune. Born and raised in Damascus where she awoke to the sound of her father's radio and was taught Middle Eastern songs word by word by her mother, she has crafted her songs to combine the elegance of Arab poetry with Middle Eastern vocal techniques and the sensibilities of her home in New York. This song, Salam bin Dimashq, can be found on her 2010 album Levantine Indulgence.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: http://www.gaidamusic.com/

Painting Their Union: Zein al Jundi and "Wijjak Ma'ii"

Syrian songstress Zein al Jundi sings today's random song, called Wijjak Ma'ii. al Jundi was born in Damascus, began singing at the age of 5 years old and became a household name in Syria for 12 years. She then decided to leave music and went to Texas to pursue a bachelors in architecture and a masters in urban design at the University of Texas at Austin. However, she found that she still loved music, and after receiving her degrees went back to singing. She currently lives in Austin, and besides singing and recording she owns a dance studio specializing in bellydance and a store that sells fine, handcrafted goods from Egypt, Syria and Morocco. She has released three albums. Wijjak Ma'ii can be found on her 2010 album Sharrafouni and on the various artists compilation Putumayo Presents: Acoustic Arabia (2008). The song is the longing of one lover for another.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Sources: https://worldmusiccentral.org/2017/12/31/artist-profiles-zein-al-jundi/

The Wedding Singer: Omar Souleyman and "Tawwalt El Gheba"

A Sunni Arab wedding musician who is influenced by all kinds of musical styles brings us the random tune for today. Omar Souleyman is from northeast Syria, and started his career as a wedding singer. He has released an astonishing 500 or so studio and live albums, eighty percent of which were recorded at weddings and given to the bride and groom. His styles include Kurdish, Ashuri, Arabic, Turkish and Iraqi influences from the peoples who live in and around his native area. He has performed in Sweden, at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Norway, at Bonnaroo in Tennessee, and at the Roskilde Festival in Denmark among other places. He also remixed three versions of the Björk song Crystalline, from her 2011 album Biophilia, all of which were included on the second disc of her Crystalline series. This song, Tawwalt El Gheba, can be found on Omar Souleyman's 2015 album Bahdeni Nami.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Indulge Me: Gaida and "Indulgence"

Today's random song is by Syrian singer Gaida, who has been dubbed "The Syrian Nightingale." Born and raised in Damascus where she awoke to the sound of her father's radio and was taught Middle Eastern songs word by word by her mother, she has crafted her songs to combine the elegance of Arab poetry with Middle Eastern vocal techniques and the sensibilities of her home in New York. This song, Indulgence, can be found on her 2010 album Levantine Indulgence.