Last Breaths from Aleppo

One of the side effects of the Syrian civil war has been its threat to the rich Sufi musical tradition centred on Aleppo, the scene of a major military confrontation that has left much of the city devastated. Jawa, a seven-strong ensemble of master musicians scattered across the diaspora in Syria, Belgium, Palestine and the Maghreb, are dedicated to keeping alive the heritage of Aleppo’s ancient treasury of classical Arabic song. Originally this Sufi repertoire was performed a capella but Jawa reinterpret the tradition by adding oud, qanun, ney (flute), violin and hand-held percussion to the soulful vocals of Khaled Alhafez. Each piece starts with an instrumental improvisation by one of the musicians which establishes the maqam (melodic mode) before the singer and the rest of the ensemble join and the rhythms grow increasingly complex.

Alhafez and his comrades see the album not only as a project of preservation but a message of cultural resistance, while sonically the effect is trance-like, even without the ecstatic whirling of the dervishes of the Mevelvi brotherhood which traditionally accompanies such music. Listeners, of course, are at liberty to provide their own devotional dancing.