Middle East - Anthony Ham [347]
Modern classics to look out for are West Beirut (1998), directed by LA-based Ziad Duweyri (a former Tarantino cameraman), which tells the semi-autobiographical story of a teenager living in West Beirut during the first year of the civil war, and the award-winning documentary, Children of Shatila, of the same year, which looks at the history of the notorious refugee camp through children’s eyes. On the lighter side of things, look out for Michel Kammoun’s recent Falafel, a romantic comedy involving a young man on his perilous way to a Beirut party.
Music
Lebanon’s two most famous female vocalists are the living legend Fairouz and the younger Najwa Karam, known as the ‘Sun of Lebanese song’. Fairouz has enjoyed star status since her first recordings in Damascus in the 1950s, and later became an icon for Lebanon during the civil war (which she sat out in Paris). Now in her seventies, she still performs several concerts annually, composing new songs with her son Ziad, a renowned experimental jazz performer.
Najwa Karam, meanwhile, has managed to create an international audience for traditional Lebanese music, rising to stardom during the 1990s. With more than 16 albums under her belt, including the 2001 Nedmaneh with over four million copies sold worldwide, she remains a driving force on the Lebanese music scene.
Current hot names in mainstream pop include Nancy Ajram, Haifa and the 4 Cats, all with catchy tunes and raunchy videos. More good, solid pop is presented, from a male perspective, by Fadl Shakir. Another popular male musician, who marries classical Arabic music with contemporary sounds, is Marcel Khalife, hailing from Amchit, near Byblos. An oud player with a cult following, many of his songs have a controversial political side, such as his composition for the dead of the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps.
In the bars and clubs of Beirut’s Rue Monot and Rue Gouraud, contemporary fusions of oriental trip-hop, lounge, drum and bass and traditional Arabic music, for both the dance floors and chilling out, have for the last few years dominated sound systems. Groups like the Beirut-based REG Project – Ralph Khoury, Elie Barbar and Guy Manoukian – specialise in Arab deep house and lounge. You’ll hear these sounds, along with traditional belly-dancing tunes remixed to electronic music, almost anywhere you stop off for a strong drink and a good dance or two.
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LISTEN TO THE BAND
Some travellers have told us that it’s hard to track down live music in Lebanon. But armed with a few suggestions, you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding yourself a memorable evening in the presence of some terrific local tunes.
In Beirut, your best first point of reference are newspaper and magazine listings (Click here), along with flyers and posters, which you’ll find largely on the streets of Hamra (Click here) and at the Virgin Megastore (Click here) on the Place des Martyrs. Along with one-off concerts, several Beirut venues offer reliable live music options almost every night of the week. Try the Blue Note (Click here) for live jazz, the Gemmayzeh Café (Click here) for traditional Lebanese sounds and Bar Louie (Click here) for funky small live outfits.
Outside the capital, it may be more difficult to track down live music, though during the summer months you’re likely to stumble across small local festivals with great local music performances in a variety of shapes and sizes. Across the country, there are also a few notable places to head to for evening drinks and tunes. The Cafés du Bardouni (Click here) in Zahlé usually have live performances going on in the summer months, while up the coast from Beirut, the Citadelle Café (Click here) at Byblos has nice live performances on Friday nights. Down south the Al-Midane