Guitarist Sean Shibe deliberately 'muddied the waters' of composers like Monteverdi and Fairuz to create a 'vaguely poppy folk mashup' style for this album.
Performer Biography
Karim Sulayman, a first-generation Lebanese-American, explores his identity and the concept of 'home' on this album, especially after the 2020 Beirut port explosion and his father's death.
Instruments
The guitar has a history connected to the Arabic oud and Spanish lute, with the word 'oud' meaning 'wood' in Arabic.
Compositional Technique
John Dowland's 16th-century works are connected to Fairuz's 1984 ballad 'Li Beirut' through its melody, which is derived from Joaquín Rodrigo's 'Concierto de Aranjuez.'
Interpretation
Sean Shibe's arrangements on the album often return to folk elements, reflecting the music that filled his childhood and that his father would sing.
Album & Artwork
The album title, Broken Branches, is inspired by a line from Iraqi poet Sinan Antoon's poetry in the song 'A Butterfly in New York,' which was commissioned for this album.
Historical Context
The first surviving notated music, unearthed in present-day Syria in the 1950s, challenged the idea that harmony and music theory originated in ancient Greece.
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