Photos by Khalid al Busaidi
In its endeavour to reach out to a broader cross-section of the public, ROHM has been active recently with its ‘Open Doors’ initiative.
This is aimed at those unable to attend performances in person. Selected shows and activities were brought directly to hospitals and community institutions, ensuring that the magic and joy of live music reached audiences where they were. It is dedicated to fostering cultural connections across the Sultanate and embracing audiences from diverse backgrounds.
On Wednesday 11th December, Omani and Swiss musicians from the ‘Desert Bridges’ project held a special concert at the Elderly Centre in Rustaq, in addition to various masterclasses and workshops for Omani music students, as part of ROHM’s Education and Outreach programme.
This was all ahead of Desert Bridges’ exceptional free one-hour public concert at the Royal Opera, House of Musical Arts. The Ensemble was founded by Swiss vocal artist, Anna Grichting and the late poet-musician, Cheo Solder, and blends jazz forms with traditional (folk) music through improvisation. On Thursday evening the nine musicians performed on stage bathed in a blue haze - a theme in their creations. It began with an atmospheric work featuring the beautiful, deep timbre of the Alpine Horn - an indigenous Swiss instrument longer than a didgeridoo - playing an arpeggiated melody accompanied by Cowbells. Quite a novel start, with Anna Grichting singing an Irish folk melody above it.
“Your Beauty Strikes” opened with a bass guitar jazz riff with grand piano; and then the fluid fusion began. The Arabic qanoon plucked a striking melody juxtaposed with the Hackbrett - a Swiss zither, or hammer dulcimer - and Anna sang an hypnotic repetitive vocal line over Western drums and Arabic percussion and Oud.
Ms Grichting introduced a song she’d learnt from the nomadic Sami tribe of Northern Europe played by the ensemble in a jazz fusion, with Alphorn this time playing jazz bass. A beautiful Oud solo, played superbly by Yaqoub al Harrasi, alternated with the brilliant Qanoon behind mesmerising jazz vocals.
An entrancing dulcimer solo, composed by Ephraim Salzmann, introduced, “Water is Divine”, and gradually the Omani musicians joined the liquid flow of sound.
The following, “Water” was composed in Arabic mode by Qanoon Maestra, Farah Jamal al Balushi. Familiar to Muscat audiences for her playing in the First Royal Ensemble for Music and Folklore, this was the only purely instrumental piece without vocals in the programme. It featured her rapid tremolo technique first, then paired Oud melodies with the Qanoon in falling sequences in a rhythmic ensemble, building up to a sparkling glissando finish.
The jazz highlight of the evening began with the recognisable dotted bass intro on piano from Miles Davis’ popular “All Blues” from his 1959 modal jazz album, ‘Kind of Blue’, with Salzmann performing the trumpet solo on Alphorn! The lyrics celebrate, ‘all shades and hues, some sad, some bright, all blues’.
There was a Hackbrett solo as Grichting spoke, punning on ‘blue note’ and names for shades of blue, her jazz singing voice rich and warm.
A mainstream jazz improvisation number featuring the extraordinary skills of French pianist, Michel Bastet in, “Illuminations” was followed by “Valley of Chants”, composed by Alphorn player, Enrico Lenzin. It turns its attention to the endangered Arabian Leopard and European Lynx, and his incredible versatility in jazz improvisation, along with an agile acoustic bass solo from the talented Frederic Folmer in its highest range, suggested the Call of the Wild.
The backlighting turned pink for a switch to an Arabic soundworld from percussion, Qanoon and Oud. Arabic vocals from Anna provided a clearly Middle Eastern flavour with a deep, accessible Oud melody from Harrasi over a Blues bass riff.
Blue returned to the stage and subject of “Stars, Sea, Desert”. The fusion in this project succeeds because of the improvisational nature of jazz and Arabic music; both find common language in scales and modes. As if to emphasise this, purple light coloured an Arabic rock composition. The Qanoon and Hackbrett formed continuity between styles, a thematic dialogue creating washes of impressionist sound across the ensemble with Grichting’s vocals recalling nostalgic 1980s folk-rock.
A classic jazz format finished the performance. A descending bass sequence from Folmer and the fast drumming of Béatrice Graf gave impetus to another splendid solo from Bastet, with atonal inflections. A dazzling solo from prolific Omani percussionist, Talal al Siyabi, built up to a frenzy. Graf demonstrated her rhythmic prowess in a final drum solo, then interacted with Siyabi in a percussive duel. The excitement melted back to subtle bending blues vocals from band leader, Anna Grichting - and all was dark again.
Desert Bridges has already brought its mission to bridge communities through music’s universal language to Bahrain and performed with the Bin Faris Ensemble: it’s hoped that they continue to spread themes of connection and cross-cultural collaboration throughout the Gulf.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
