Tomorrow I’m off to Syria for a couple weeks. I can’t wait. That means no Benn loxo posts for a while, but I’ll try my best to come home with some good Syrian tunes to share.

Before I go, let’s dive into my small collection of Syrian music. Think of this as a pre-Syria post.. armchair before experience.

First we’ll hear some music by Syrian-born musician, Abed Azrié. It’s perhaps not fair to call his music “Syrian” since he’s lived in France for most of his life and openly prefers it over here. At the same time it’s a good place to start since the Syrian and other Arabian influences are very obvious in his music. Also, his tunes are put together in such a way that it’s pleasing to your average Western ear. You can grab plenty of his albums over at Calabash.

The pseudo-documentarians at Wikipedia claim that Jeff Buckley was a big fan, and that the two once had lunch together. Maybe if Buckley hadn’t died so tragically young he and Azrié could have collaborated on some music. Now that’d be interesting.

(Sidenote: I was lucky enough to see Jeff Buckley live in Toronto shortly before he died. Needless to say, it was an amazing show.)

Anyway, back to Syria, or rather another Syrian expat with strong ties to home. Zein al-Jundi’s album, Traditional Songs From Syria, is beautiful. Originally from Damascus, she got her break when the Syrian government asked her to perform at the re-opening of Syria’s famous Roman amphitheatre in Bosra.. where I’ll hopefully be in a few days.

In recent years she’s been living in Austin, Texas, studying architecture and interior design. I know Austin’s a cool city and all, but it’s still strange to imagine a female Syrian expat architect going home after a Masters class to jam on some traditional Arabic music.. in Texas.

Next we’ll bring it down a notch with some Syrian sufi chants.

Let’s end on a dancing note. Lastly we’ll hear a couple tracks off the great Rough Guide compilation, Bellydance Café, by the Salatin el Tarab Orchestra and the Jalal Joubi Ensemble.

See you in a couple weeks.

Abed Azrié – Eau et vent
Abed Azrié – Abou – Saadiyah
Zein al-Jundi – Hayyamatni
Zein al-Jundi – Ya Ein Mulayyetein
Muhammad Hakim, Abdullah Rihawi, Abdulrahman Halak, Ahmad Machal, Muhannad Alwan, Ahmad Moslemani, Bakri Basal, Abdulhadi Kasara, Omar Shaban Hosayn, Ibrahim Karman – Khummari

Salatin el Tarab Orchestra – Helm
Jalal Joubi Ensemble – Marmar Zamani