Safaafir @ Busboys & Poets
There was a time in the not too distant past when Iraq was a hotbed of intellectualism, art, and culture. This national image has all but disappeared over the past three decades, but last night's concert by Safaafir at Busboys & Poets, the group's second, was a celebration of Iraq's traditions and a reminder of how fortunate we are to live in a city that provides access to such rich cultural experiences.
Though the music was unfamiliar to some of us present, the sentiments it evoked were not. The largely Iraqi audience, which included several dignitaries from the Iraqi embassy, reveled in its native music and created a joyous atmosphere that is not often associated with the country.
"This is the real face of what Iraq looks like and what it should be," announced Busboys' owner Andy Shallal at the start of the program. An Iraqi native, Shallal came to the United States as a small child in 1960s.
Safaafir specializes in maqam, a classical form traditionally found in Iraq's urban centers. The driving force behind the group is Amir ElSaffar, an accomplished jazz and European classical trumpeter who was born in Chicago to an Iraqi father and American mother. He heard maqam growing up and in 2002 put his career on hold to spend six months in Baghdad to learn the classical repertoire.
"One hundred years ago, maqam was the music of Baghdad," ElSaffar explained after the concert. "Now the music is in a state of decline," he continued, "and that has been a gradual process over the past 100 years, but it has a lot to do with current politics."
ElSaffar's studies in Baghdad included maqam singing as well as learning to play the santoor, a hammer dulcimer instrument that is found throughout the Middle East and all the way into South Asia. He has also turned his passion for maqam into a family affair, as last night's ensemble included his sister, Dena El Saffar, on vocals, violin, and jowza, a four-stringed spiked fiddle whose sound resembles a sarangi, for those familiar with North Indian classical music. Her husband, Tim Moore, rounded out the trio on doumbek and vocals, the latter of which is impressive given that all of the lyrics were sung in Arabic.
The tonality of maqam is very eastern in the sense that the music is not built on harmonies, but a series of scales. Often the santoor, jowza, and vocal melody were played in unison, but occasionally the santoor would play a counterpoint to the melody. Rhythmically, the songs were often set to odd meters. One song in particular was based on a tricky 10-beat doumbek pattern, deftly played by Moore. Unfortunately, Busboys would be advised to use a different sound design for Safaafir's next concert, because much of the nuance in the santoor and doumbek was lost. A highlight, however, was Dena El Saffar's violin playing. Her resonant tone and strong technique added a powerful element to the group's overall sound.
The structure of most of the songs began with an extended improvisation by the lead vocalist or an instrumentalist. The group would then introduce the song's main melody and lyric, which were often romantic and rooted in classical Arabic poetry. The ensemble seemed on the verge of losing the audience during some of the more esoteric moments, a fact that ElSaffar acknowledged after the concert.
"When we play for an Iraqi audience, they want more of the songs and less of the long tunes," ElSaffar said.
Last night, Safaafir did a fine job of balancing the ensemble's artistic integrity and the wants of the audience. The group never completely lost contact with the listeners, who responded enthusiastically to the more melodic elements of the concert. The native Iraqis spent much of the concert clapping and singing along to the exotic yet entirely hummable melodies. The show culminated with the sold-out room rising to a standing ovation at the end of the second set.
Shallal suspected the audience was mixed in terms of ethnic and religious background. He also noted that Iraqi gatherings have been very segregated since the start of the war. This fact coupled with the excitement of the audience gave the evening a hopeful tone.
"We live as Iraqis in memories," Shallal said, "but this shows that you can cross boundaries with music and that Iraq is salvageable."
Photo from Safaafir's website