Music – islamicate

#NYC Event – IMAN at the Apollo with Mos Def and @aasif_mandvi

islamoyankeeJanuary 19, 2010

IMAN at the Apollo Special Edition of Community Cafe Saturday, January 23, 2010 7:30pm The Apollo Theatre 253 West 125th Street, Harlem, NY Tickets $20 : Purchase Here Join IMAN as we host one of the first Muslim-led arts & culture events of its kind at the legendary Apollo Theater in New York City. IMAN’s Community Café, established in 2003, provides a space to celebrate and engage in diverse and creative artistic expression. The event continues to excite, inspire and unite a cross-section of American Muslims with the larger community to appreciate the arts as a tool for cross-cultural communication,…

Music Video

The Muppets do Persian Music

islamoyankeeNovember 25, 2009

Technically, Parsi music. Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara. I suppose it’s also Zanzibari music.

Music

Contemporary Pakistani Music

islamoyankeeJuly 22, 2009

It’s not all about Junoon anymore, if it ever was. CNN ran this article several months ago about heavy metal in Pakistan, including some type of hip-hop dancing thing. Videos below: Compare this view of music to what the Kominas deal with in their expression of punk (h/t Sepia Mutiny): Of course, both sources have distinct narratives they need to tell. The truth of the popularity and acceptability of such music in Pakistan is somewhere in the middle. Although Junoon did lay the ground work, the increase in Islamist activity and thinking means that performing music remains problematic. I’m not…

Current Affairs Music

More on our #torture policies

islamoyankeeJuly 21, 2009

If you haven’t already seen it, read this article in Harper’s entitled “We Still Torture.” Then go listen to “Blackout Beach” by the Kominas. Now we have entered what we may wish to call the post-torture era, except that it is not. Indeed, we cannot even revert to the easy hypocrisy of the Cold War. We have returned to our traditional practice of torturing and pretending not to, but the old routine is no longer convincing. We know too much. We know that we are still imprisoning men who very likely are completely innocent. We know that we still beat…

Music Politics

Music, #Iran, and the #IranElection

islamoyankeeJuly 13, 2009

With my passion for music, I’d be remiss in not pointing out some resources on Iranian music, especially with the conflict surrounding the Iranian election. This piece from Religion Dispatches is good, but I think it takes the “all politics is personal” a little too far. It’s not always about the music. Hawg Blawg is always excellent, and Talk Islam has some work as well. Andrew Sullivan is running an intermittent series called “Outing Iran” that includes a lot of music.

Art Intra-faith Music Poetry

He Who Burns

islamoyankeeJuly 8, 2009

My dear friend is putting on a dance performance in NY this weekend. It is titled “He Who Burns,” and plays with the idea put forward by Hallaj that Iblis was cast out of Heaven for being the truest lover of God. He refuse to bow to Adam not because he was disobedient, but because none is worthy of worship other than God. Check it out. He Who Burns

Current Affairs Music Religion

Michael Jackson is Dead, so is Neda [update]

islamoyankeeJune 26, 2009

Yesterday, June 25, 2009. Michael Jackson died; God rest his soul. I was not going to blog about his passing. He is an artist, a celebrity, why is his death more important than any other? He was an artistic genius, of that there can be no doubt. What he did for music and dance in pop is unparalleled. However, he was still a human being. He had an impact on my childhood, but I did not know him. In many respects, because of his fame, he was unreal. He was no closer to me than Rumi, whose poetry speaks to…

Art Music

NYT: The Intersection of Islam, America and Identity

islamoyankeeJune 8, 2009

The Muslim Voices Festival has begun, and I’ll be posting soon on Religion Dispatches. However, the NYT has started running some coverage, including this piece on Muslim women artists. Will tryt to check it out (after the music festival) and report.

Music

Yusuf Islam interview

islamoyankeeMay 18, 2009

From CNN: It’s true. I used to be prejudiced — as prejudiced as anyone about Islam. … And then I was given the opportunity of reading the actual source, the Quran itself, without anybody forcing me or looking over my shoulder and saying, “What do you think?” It was just me in my space. And the more I read the Quran, the more I realized that it was like an incredible matrix of connection with Christianity and Judaism. I mean Jesus, Moses, the religion of Abraham in this book! And I said, “Wow, how come I didn’t know this before?”…

Books Music

Free Book: “Dis-Orienting Rhythms” available for download

islamoyankeeApril 19, 2009

I love this book. I had just written an article on treating Fun^Da^Mental as part of the South Asian literary tradition (unpublished) about three months before this book came out in print. It’s a wonderful collection of essays, and they don’t all agree with one another. It’s a shame it’s out of print, because I think it’s a classic in the field, but I’m glad they’ve made it available for download. I learned about this book over ten years ago from Tony Mitchell, and have found it invaluable. I urge anyone interested in BrAsian politics and culture, fans of Fun’Da’Mental,…