The kawala, the mijwiz, the tablah: Lloyd International Honors college Arab Music Concert

Students, faculty, staff and visitors enjoyed a taste of international culture at the Arabic Music concert Thursday in the Recital Hall of the School of Music.

Musicians Dr. A.J. Racy and Souhall Kaspar put on a guest recital, which was followed by a public lecture, led by Racy, on Friday. The two-hour concert included a two-part show with introductions and information about the instruments and a variety of Arabic songs, some dating back to the Ottoman Empire, while others were original creations of the performers themselves.

Racy, who is considered a master of traditional instruments, played six different instruments throughout the show, including the kawala, an Egyptian reed flute; the mijwiz, a double pipe; and the rababah, an upright fiddle. Kaspar played from a range of four percussion instruments, including the tablah, an Arab goblet drum; the riqq, a small tambourine; and the tabl baladi, a large double sided drum.

Each song was introduced and explained by Racy. One song was described as one that is always changing, like the desert, and the instruments, especially the flute, are a metaphor for the wind that is always moving the desert sands. The show was also interactive, with audience members invited to clap along with songs.

Throughout the show, Racy told stories of how he and Kaspar came to be musicians, how they were introduced to their instruments and how they came to love and live them. Racy told the audience that when he moved to the United States from his home in Lebanon in the 1960s, his father gave him one of his many different instruments, saying "take it with you, it might do you some good." Kaspar's parents resorted to hiding his drum from him at one point because he was playing it too often and letting it affect his grades. Kaspar later attended a music academy in Syria where he learned percussion techniques.

Today, Racy is a Professor of Ethnomusicology at UCLA. Racy is also known for his book, Making Music in the Arab World. Racy has performed in many well-known venues and festivals, such as the Beiteddine Festival in Lebanon, as well as at Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. He has performed with the Sacramento Symphony Orchestra and the Kronos Quartet, and has performed in many films. Racy has released many CDs, some of which were available at the concert on Thursday, and has also received many awards for his influential contributions to the cultural music scene.

Kaspar was also born in Lebanon, and now lives in Los Angeles. He is a Dupree Foundation award winner and has played alongside many well-known musicians, as well as appearing on a variety of different albums, including Khaliji, a compilation of songs from the Arab Gulf area. He has played with Racy several times in the past.

Kaspar also teaches classes and leads workshops, and has played in some of the most well-known Middle Eastern venues here in the United States.

The concert ended with audience members invited to the stage to get a closer look at the instruments and have a chance to speak to the performers. The concert was cosponsored by Dennis Leyden and the Lloyd International Honors College.