Sunday, September 25, 2011

Music of Nawaf alGheraibah



I got a nice note from a reader who said,

“I was wondering if you would check out my husbands music on http://www.gheraibah.com/.  It's free to download to the general public, and the music is like nothing any other Kuwaiti has done before... it was his project for his masters degree in composition...  Just wanted to share the love.”

I really like it when I receive this type of mail, so I am happy to write about it.  I also like the fact that his wife wrote to me and she is obviously proud of him.  His music is very interesting and the website allows you to download the entire album.  I love anything culturally diverse and Nawaf sounds like he’s had a fascinating journey.. so far.



A composer who enjoys breaking cultural boundaries through music; Nawaf alGheraibah, is a half Kuwaiti, half Indian/Portuguese musician, whose music is an expression of his rich multicultural influences. A postgraduate student at the University of Southampton, UK. Gheraibah is completing his degree in composition, and is currently employed at the Higher Institute of Musical Arts, Kuwait.
        
    Spending most of his time traveling between Europe, the Middle East, and India, Gheraibah enjoys exploring independent and traditional music. At a young age, Gheraibah primarily played the piano and guitar; though through his travels, he also picked up and learned the Tabla (or indian drums) the Indian Sitar, the Arabian lute (oud) the Indian flute, and the Aboriginal digireedo, to name a few.

    Gheraibah believes music is not confined to one form. Instead, he finds that blending the music of many cultures produces coherent and spiritually awakening music. He enjoys experimenting with different cultural sounds, and mixing them in order to find new forms of music within the fusion of diversely different cultures.

He especially enjoys traditional tribal instruments; such as bamboo flutes, or the African Kora, which he believes contain a raw human dimension to them: “A human touch which is lacking in todays digital music age.”

    A spiritual person by nature, Gheraibah finds music to be a form of enlightenment; a source of relaxation: a deep meditation. Music connects to the human soul like no other form of art, it is a deep expression of human emotion. Gheraibah believes music should be cherished and valued as one of the most ancients of human arts. An art he believes is slowly dying away with the modern media: “Music has lost all expression of human emotion, and is instead mass manufactured and void of any significant thought.”

    In the end, Nawaf hopes his music would influence people to explore the many historical sounds humans have created through their journey on this earth. Gheraibah hopes that people would appreciate the many forms of spiritual and emotional expression one can portray through sound. The power of music has the ability to move the masses, its ability to do so is one of the most beautiful mysteries of life.

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