to whom it may not concern …

Update: A video of Music Matbakh’s concert in Amman can now be found in the bottom of this post, courtesy Khobbeizeh.

It didn’t sound very attractive when I first heard it from the husky-voiced British-accented BBC reporter, but it was certainly the original name that had caught my attention, Music Matbakh it said. And when the radio station played short bits of their gigs, I was spellbound with the brilliance of the music. It was an unusual mixture of Arabic, Western and New Age … but something I’ve never experienced before.

The project kicked off when British Musician Justin Adams pulled together a group of some the most accomplished and innovative of Middle Eastern musicians, and consequently produced Music Matbakh, a savory recipe from Arabia. The initiative is sponsored by the British Council and Serious, a UK’s leading producer of live jazz, world and new music.

What attracted me to Music Matbakh is that it’s so hugely ambitious”, Justin Adams says. “The dozen musicians come from all over the Arabic world and most of them have never met, let alone worked with each other before. Putting us all together for a three week residency is a bit like a musical version of the Big Brother house. Nobody knows what’s going to happen, except that it’s going to be fascinating and very creative because everybody has been picked for the open-mindedness of their approach.

One of Britain’s most versatile guitarists, Adams grew up in the Middle East and came to prominence playing with Jah Wobble in the late 1980s. He went on to work with a host of other artists including Sinead O’Connor and for the past five years has been the guitarist in Robert Plant’s band, Strange Sensation. His affinity with the music of Africa and the Near East can be heard on his acclaimed album ‘Desert Road’.

The Cooks

The 14 cooks come from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria and Tunisia have been stirred into the Music Matbakh pot alongside British artists. The lineup combines traditional and cutting-edge, bringing together ancient Arabic traditions, hip hop and electronica - musicians playing the oud and the ney meet MCs, electronica masters, and guitarists putting a new spin on metal, plus a range of remarkable singers.

The extraordinary band has already played live in the UK and in Casablanca. Following the residency and UK performances the artists will tour the Near East and North Africa region over the summer.

The reviews I read for Music Matbakh, here, here and here, were fascinating. The 14 cooks, are: Mohamed Medhat (violin) - Egypt, Ousso (guitar) - Egypt, Yacoub Said Abu Ghosh (bass guitar) - Jordan, Ruba Saqr (singer) - Jordan, Asma (singer) - Lebanon, RGB (MC) - Lebanon, Essam Rafea (oud) - Syria, Moslem Rahhal (ney) - Syria, Hicham Bajjou (vocalist) - Morocco, Taufik Hazzeb aka Bigg (MC) - Morocco, kander Besbes (electronics) - Tunisia, Lotfi Soua (percussion) - Tunisia, Andrew McCormack (keyboards) - UK, Leo Taylor (drums) - UK.

You can enjoy listening/tasting some of their music/appetizers here. And make sure not to miss their BBC interview in Arabic here.