I know the Black Iris has been on a political bend lately, which I suppose was unavoidable. So I offer this playlist as compensation for all the torture. Some of these tracks are ones I’ve discovered recently, while others are old gems I’ve been rediscovering. On a personal note, it should be noted that I’ve [...]

From Amman’s sister city, the Trio Chicago and Friends played a lengthy program that included Bernstein and Ellington at the Cultural Center last night. It was a great show. And now, A little bit of Porter to lighten the mood…

Last night the Amman Symphony Orchestra performed its first concert for the 2007-2008 season. Josep Vincent of Spain was the guest conductor with 22 year-old piano virtuoso, Lulu Yang of China on piano. The concert was pretty phenomenal as it was my first time seeing the Amman Symphony Orchestra play. My favorite pieces included the [...]

Typical – Mute Math | One of the best and freshest bands I have heard in a long time. Front man, Paul Meany has a voice that is reminiscent of a coarser Sting, and many of the songs will drive you in that direction before leading you away into a more synth-indie-rock style. Mute Math [...]

Forever Begins – Common | I’ve been really into Common’s latest album, Finding Forever. He is one of the handful of artists I would consider to be a reflection of genuine hip hop. His lyrical sophistication outshines the rest. In his latest Kanye West-produced album, Common finds familiar ground for his music. From kicking it [...]

Last night the Al-Hussein Cultural Center hosted Sacromonte, a Flamenco concert, organized by the Spanish Institute in Amman. It was a stellar performance that left everyone applauding endlessly. It was composed by a group of young artists who have strongly influenced in the Andalusian and Spanish flamenco panorama in the last years. The Sacromonte quartet [...]

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before… Nancy held a press conference a few hours before her concert at the Radisson Sass in Amman, Jordan. As she was talking about her participation in the Jerash Festival and everything was going as planned, an Israeli Journalist from ‘ Yadiot Ahranot’ newspaper disrupted and asked Ajram [...]

Having not put out a playlist for quite some time, I thought I’d quickly compile a longer (than usual) one. Consider it the ‘summer edition’ playlist. Bittersweet – Kanye West ft. John Mayer | It’s a song that I’ve waited a pretty long time to hear. Clips of it have been released as far back [...]