Last updated: 6 hours ago
Issam Hajali is mostly known as the singer and main composer of the Lebanese band Ferkat Al Ard. Before that he recorded am album under his own name called "Mouasalat Ila Jacad El Ard" in 1977 in exile in Paris. Issam Hajali had to leave Lebanon after the Syrian intervention for political reasons and spent one year in exile in France. He could only afford one studio day to record the whole project with musicians from France, Algeria, Iran and a friend from Beirut called Roger Fakhr. While you can hear the musical roots of what later became Ferkat Al Ard the album also differs from Issam’s later recordings. Melancholic stripped-down, guitar-based folk is followed by jazz-fused breaks and that unique sound of the santour glistening through. While the music is very accessible, some song structures are rather atypical. The lyrics mostly trace back to the poetic work of Palestinian author Samih El Kasem. In late 1977 Issam could return to Beirut and only afford a short time in the studio adding bits and pieces to the unfinished album. It was impossible to find a label under the circumstances of war so he started dubbing tapes himself. Only up to 100 copies of the album were sold or given to friends. Eventually one of those tapes fell into the hands of Ziad Rahbani, Fairuz's son and a Lebanese musical institution in his own right. Ziad liked the music a lot and Issam played on some of Ziad’s recordings. The album was never known outside a very small scene in late 1970s Beirut.
Monthly Listeners
27,137
Monthly Listeners History
Track the evolution of monthly listeners over the last 28 days.
Followers
13,149
Followers History
Track the evolution of followers over the last 28 days.
Top Cities
986 listeners
559 listeners
524 listeners
517 listeners
493 listeners
Related Artists
Ferkat Al Ard
Maha
The Free Music
Seta Hagopian
Al Fajer Group
Mustapha Amar
Les Filles de Illighadad
