Tangents party page

I'm stunned to tell you that the Tangents Party/Palestinian Benefit for Musicians Without Borders and Ali Amr's tuition at the Berklee College of Music has beenn cancelled. Co-producer Jeannette Cool broke the news to me in the following email:

"What is hard to imagine has happened. Unfortunately, Ali is not being allowed to leave -- it is some complication between the Jordanian government now -- as due to the occupation, Palestinians must leave via Jordan. He is having to gain additional documentation for his schooling; but I just received a message from him and his "handlers" -- that they won't even review it until the end of the month putting his school year
even in jeopardy. So our events are all CANCELLED! I am extremely disappointed for a myriad of reasons."

I'm happy to say that several folks who sent checks still want their contribution to go to the MWB Music Bus Project in the West Bank so all is not lost. The total as of Aug 26 is $555 and you are welcome to contribute. I will wait a few weeks to see if we can reach our $1000 goal before sending the funds to MWB.

Make checks out to "Tangents Radio".

Please include your e-mail, phone number and put "MWB" in the memo.

Mail check to:

Tangents Radio

c/o Dore Stein

301 Gambier St.

San Francisco CA 94134-1314

Original Tangents Party/Benefit Description:

This Palestinian benefit Tangents event has been in the works for two years and I'm thrilled to announce its time has arrived. You have the opportunity to be part of an intimate concert with Ali Amr, who at age 20 is already a world class virtuoso on the qanun. The qanun is a stunning Arab classical instrument with 72 strings and a trapezoidal sound board.

Major thanks to Jeanette Cool who has helped coordinate this special event.

Jeannette and I worked hard to arrive at music related Palestinian causes where the money will make a considerable impact. The proceeds will be evenly split between Musicians Without Borders (MWB) Magic Bus project which works in the West Bank and in Jordanian refugee camps and also go towards Ali Amr's tuition at the Berklee School of Music.

I'll let Jeanette describe the MWB project taken from an email excerpt:

"What MWB completed -- from another donor -- was a project in Bethlehem -- training 15-23 Palestinians as teachers and trainers to take music to the children in the 3 refugee camps in Bethlehem. It is a success and took on a life of its own and from the director's perspective, has had life changing affects on the young men and women who participate in the leadership programs. The Music Bus Project to the Middle East is in fundraising mode -- and the monies will go to support the project that is also going to spread to Jordan to the refugee camps for the Iraqi kids -- the Palestinians it appears are or will be helping all that happen -- and there will be workshops for the kids in other cities -- Jenin, Ramallah etc.

What I got from him is commitment from many people, music as a vehicle for joy, learning and relieving the stress of the despair in a system of non-violence...cross-cultural awarenesses, and of course the rippling affect that music and caring brings everywhere. The org is also beginning a songwriting workshop -- learning how to express via music/rhythm -- with the non-violence overlay."

Ali Amr is an extraordinary young man from Ramallah, Palestine. He navigated through many obstacles in the West Bank and Israel to enroll in Boston's Berklee College of Music in 2009 with the assistance of perhaps the world's best known Palestinian oudist/violinist, Simon Shaheen. Simon has been a champion of Ali Amr since hearing him perform when Ali was ten years old.

The event will be a Tangents party/living room concert limited to 40 people. At $50+ contribution, we will raise minimum $2000.

It is a wonderful opportunity to help support youth and culture from Palestine and hear an extraordinary musician. Ali Amr's cd which I have been playing on Tangents will be sold at the party.

Once your check is received, the location will be provided.

About Ali Amr

Click here for YouTube video of Ali with Berklee Middle Eastern Fusion Band performing a Simon Shaheen compositon.

Ali Amr was born in 1991 and at the age of 7 began studying qanun in the only conservatory in Palestine. A talented musician from early on, Ali attended the Edward Said Conservatory in Ramallah for 11 years, graduating in 2007.

Ali is a three-time first-prize winner for Best Arabic Music Performer in the Marcel Khalifé Competition (2004, 2005, 2007), and in 2008 he had the honor of performing for the president of the Palestinian Authority. Ali has performed with world-renowned artists such as Simon Shaheen, Turkish clarinetist Hüsnü Senlendirici, and the first violin of the Julliard Quartet, Joel Smirnoff.

One of Ali's favorite aspects of studying at Berklee is collaborating with musicians from different cultures. He is especially fond of blending the sound of the qanun with everything from jazz to flamenco.

Ali Amr Interview
(excerpts courtesy of Danielle Dreilinger and Mawa)

Did you encounter any challenges on the road to Berklee?

It was a very long trip to come here. I don't mean the distance. Just to apply I had a lot of difficulties. There was no audition site in Palestine, and getting into Israel is full of obstacles. There are many checkpoints along the way and then, at the main huge checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem, no one is allowed to pass without permission. I applied many times, but I was never admitted. Finally I contacted Berklee and told them about it. A lot of emails and phone calls, and then I sent them a video of me playing and singing.

Getting accepted was like a dream coming true. But the second difficulty was the visa. We don't have a U.S. Embassy in Palestine. We have to go through the same problem. The first time I asked for permission to visit the embassy in Jerusalem, the answer was "no." They didn't let me in. My dad made some phone calls and told them this is my future—I had to go to the visa interview. It worked. I packed and traveled to Jerusalem where I spent the night to make sure that the next day I would be able to get to the embassy.

What kinds of music do you play?

I really love Arabic music because I think it expresses my feelings more than any other music I play. But I like all kinds of music. That's one of the reasons I'm here, not Tunisia or Egypt. I want to do something special—to mix all this music and add our music to it. Lately I'm trying to play jazz on my qanun. It feels great to have all the prospects opened in front of my eyes. I don't think I would have this experience anywhere else in the world.

What's it like for you here, coming from Ramallah?

I'm the second Palestinian student at Berklee and the youngest. When I got accepted, my family had a big celebration. The president of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, knew about it, and I even went to play for him. It was a great opportunity for me to meet him and hear him compliment me and say he was proud of my talent.

One of the reasons that Berklee was interested in accepting me is that I would add something to Berklee. I really want to do that, and not just come here and study and graduate and leave. Today I gave a lesson to a student here. She had a project for her lab, and she wanted to sing an Arabic song. I took my qanun and we practiced. I told her how the lyrics are pronounced and how to sing in the Arabic style. It was a good experience for both of us.

How do you think growing up in the middle of conflict affected your music?

The war, it's the worst thing anyone can have, in all aspects. It made me see and feel things that I wouldn't if I were in any other place. Music was my support through it all. I was really influenced by war to create music, and by music to fight against war. My family and the whole community could not leave their homes for more than a month. Every time our frustration increased, music comforted us. As I was improvising, the machine guns continued my melody. Music helped me absorb the scenes of violence and gave me a space where I could translate negatives into positives. I got used to not having a normal life. Now I enjoy every second of my life as a Berklee student.

You seem to feel like a cultural ambassador.

Along with learning, I'm also representing Palestine. Being a good musician who is able to help people—I represent that Palestinians are a helpful, giving people. We want to overcome war and find peace, I believe. Music is peace.

After I graduate, I want to go back home and add something new and teach students. I want to spread music through every home and every soul. Life back home is kind of empty. I imagine my life like other students without music—sitting for like four hours playing cards. I hope this will change. I hope I'll change this. If people have music institutions to give them the education, they will use their time in more creative ways and more positive ways.

It’s obvious music has always been part of your life — how has that made you who you are?

Music indeed has always been a very important part of my life. And since childhood it has been a major part of my identity.

Music has cleared my soul, added happiness and confidence to my life. And it also opened up my mind to absorb diversity and look at things differently. And this has created a sort of sensitivity inside me towards any piece of art. Therefore, I’m very happy with the results.

What is the role of the qanun in Western music?

Qanun is a purely Eastern instrument in comparison to the violin, flute, or clarinet that are major instruments in both Eastern and Western music; being used in orchestra and the Arabic ensemble (takht sharki) as well. Before joining Berklee College of Music, I was focusing on learning Arabic music and going in depth to learn all the skills and knowledge in that deep ocean and only listening to other styles.

After joining Berklee and getting exposed to all these different kinds of music, I felt it was a big loss not being aware that all those kinds of music existed, and this lack of information I believe is a problem that should be solved in Palestine. But now, I feel that Arabic music has made me unique and special. Qanun has a very special timbre that fits with different styles of music. And now at Berklee I’ve played with many different ensembles and styles such as South American, Middle Eastern, Turkish, Indian, Brazilian, French Folk music, African, Spanish Flamenco, Jazz, etc. Many professionals admire this merge.