The Khaleeji Sea Arts: Reviving the Inclusive Tradition of Experimentation in Khaleeji Seafaring Music

The Khaleeji Sea Arts (Funoon Al-Bahar Al-Khaleejiyah) existed as dynamic expressions of trade and cosmopolitanism in the Western Indian Ocean world. They were occasioned by sustained engagements with civilizations spanning Zanzibar to Ceylon and changed over time with the rhythm of the monsoon winds.

Join us for an evening of musical exchange. First, ethnomusicologist Ghazi Al Mulaifi will introduce how bahri (sea) music was born. What are its origins and what were the complexities that brought about this genre of music?

Then there will be a musical performance by Boom.Diwan, a collaborative jazz ensemble that is inspired by Kuwaiti seafaring music.

For those who would like to learn the traditional instruments – tabl, mirwas, yahala and tuwaysa- used in bahri music, they can join the open rehearsals on Thursday and Friday, to learn the instruments, and they can then perform with the band on Saturday.

Rehearsals: We invite you to visit us during rehearsals. All rehearsals will be in the Art Gallery Reading Room at NYU Abu Dhabi, Thursday and Friday, November 3rd and 4th, and open to the public from 2-5pm.

Performers

• Ghazi Al-Mulaifi, PhD, musician, applied-ethnomusicologist, and professor of music
• Boom.Diwan, Collaborative global jazz ensemble