Sam Shahin’s Barakat: Live Performance October 16 in New Orleans
[Poster design by Alexandra Kennon Shahin]
We were thrilled in February to help announce Barakat, the new project from Sam Shahin, the powerhouse drummer for New Orleans jazz fusion band Naughty Professor. Barakat is the meeting of jazz and modern Arabic classical music. The world premier was held April 10 at at Marigny Opera House in New Orleans.
Shahin is excited to announce the second live performance of Barakat this Wednesday, October 16, again at Marigny Opera House in New Orleans. For this production, Shahin (drums and percussion) will be joined by Brad Walker, saxophones; Raja Kassis, guitar; Calvin Morin-Martin, bass; and Calvin Morin-Martin, upright and electric basses.
Shahin’s innovative, hypnotic, and high-energy compositions dive into his Middle Eastern heritage to take the listener on an exploration of global music ranging from the spirit of New Orleans jazz to the Arabic soundscapes of the Levant. The name of the project, Barakat, is derived from Shahin’s maternal grandmother’s maiden name, as well as the Arabic word for “blessings.”
“The music of Barakat, organically inspired by my current home in New Orleans as well as by my ancestral home of Lebanon, is alive, it’s breathing, it’s always capable of being shaped or nurtured not only by the performers, but by the listener. It’s not just us sharing our experience — the performance is a shared experience in and of itself.”
Music is here to unite us. Music is here to connect us. Music is innate to humanity. Music is a blessing.
These brand new stickers will be for sale (available in black or white) with all proceeds going to humanitarian aid in the homeland.
Sam Shahin
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Here is “Beit Beirut” (“Beirut is Home”) from the suite “Taawila Sittee” (“My Grandmother’s Table”), which was performed live at the Barakat world premiere on April 10 at Marigny Opera House in New Orleans.
