Al-Ahram Weekly enjoys the breath of jazz with Charbel This was his second visit to Cairo, and the audience, along with Rania Khallaf, were applauding even before he appeared on the Al-Sawy Culture Wheel stage on Sunday. Born in 1965 in Aamchit, a city north of Beirut, Charbel 's main achievement has been establishing a new methodology in playing the oud. In the 1980s he was a member of the Mayadine ensemble, playing alongside oud legend Marcel Khalife. On the stage , together with Gasser El-Haj Youssef, the distinguished young violinist, and Moroccan percussionist Khaled Al-Barkawi, set the mood for a classic Arabic music concert. However, he opened with a song called Ghamz (Wink), which shifted from one mood to another; his classic performance on oud was spontaneously interrupted by vivid improvisation from the violinist. In other songs, the oud played the improvisational role in a wide, diverse musical space. "What I have presented is not pure jazz," he told me bluntly after the concert. "It is a kind of mix of my musical composition and Lebanese folk music in a modern oriental form... Yet the improvisation is a common feature between Arabic and jazz music, under the conditions imposed by the nature of each one." The wonderful night presented by and his band was, surprisingly the outcome of a two-day workshop. "It required a kind of common musical taste with my colleagues to reach this point of spontaneity," he said. Both the Moroccan percussionist and the Tunisian violinist have added a unique touch of their local musical taste to 's composition. is widely counted as one of few oud players who have managed to transform this traditional Arabic instrument into a modern one capable of making a musical dialogue with other Western instruments. Thus, he should not be taken for a classic Arabic oud player. Back in Lebanon, and together with his own band, which consists of a pianist, violinist, percussionist and saxophonist, he plays typical jazz. "Every musician plays jazz according to his cultural background, and adds his own spirit to the music I have composed, which in fact is not jazz but a kind of an open musical composition, or a mix of different genres," he said. In Al-Bint Al-Shalabiya (The Beautiful Girl in Lebanese slang), a classic song by Fairouz, travelled rather far from Lebanon to the borders of New Orleans, Brazil or Cuba. Yet he is modest: "I like jazz music, but I don't assume that I have improved its rules." On the other hand, has played at several jazz festivals in Europe and the United States. "I am proud to say that my improvisation on the oud has encountered the tabla of the Indian player Zakir Hussein and interacted with the American guitarist La Courieal or the saxophonist George Brook in New York," he says. His next song, Manara, which received a warm acclaim on the part of the audience, was followed by Sayed Darwish's Teleat ya Mahla Nourha, a classic song popular among all Arabs. Commenting on the idea of the Jazz Factory, said that he was impressed by the performance of some of the Egyptian jazz bands. "Jazz music is also flourishing in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. I hope it will gather more audience by time, and I wish for this festival to continue on an annual base. However, this should not be on the expense of our unique musical identity. One cannot replace his mother tongue with another, I suppose." But he is all for change, in its place. "In the Arab world, there is an increasing need for experimentation and for creating an alternative musical style. We need to make use of the global mood, but not to fall as slaves to its rules. Western bands are also invited to become more familiar with our music and to make use of its traditions, and the Jazz Factory offers an excellent experimental space in this respect." has collaborated in composing musicals for choreographer Abdel-Halim Caracalla's shows Elissa, the Queen of Carthage (1995), Andalusia -- Lost Glory (1997) and Leilet Kamar (1999). And besides winning several national awards, also won the first prize at the Hirayama Competition in 1995 in Japan for Best Composition for Hymn of Peace. Besides his international record as an oud player and composer, has recently released his first album as a singer. The album is Khatera (Serious). "The album contains songs that have political and social connotations. It includes a song called La Sho Al-Tagheer [Why We Go for Change]. It talks about the need for change on all levels. Another song criticises the way Arabs celebrate getting a US visa and think of it as a way to heaven." Last week he was playing in the Arab World Festival in Montreal. "Playing for the first time with Canadian musicians on the cello and clarinet was a kind of adventure. I was lucky to have worked with these musicians who have a passion for Arabic music. It is amazing that when I play the same songs with different musicians, the output comes in a different way or a different mood. It is as if you say 'Hello' or 'I love you' every morning; you say the same word every day but to different people, so it comes out in a different way and is received by people in a different manner," he says with a wink.
