Palestinian performer speaks out

Sameer Makhoul (left) and Itamar Doari
(Courtesy of Trees Music and Art)


--Interview with Sameer Makhoul
By June Tsai

For many in the Middle East, this would be an impossible meeting, yet for Palestinian oud player Sameer Makhoul and Israeli percussionist Itamar Doari, their music makes them a natural match. The two will appear at the Migration Music Festival in Taipei this weekend and deliver their musical message that crosses borders--in terms of nationality, music genre and even age.

Sameer Makhoul, 38, is from a Palestinian family. He was born in Peki'in in Galilee, a region famous for its poets and musicians. Makhoul started to teach himself oud--a traditional Arabic stringed instrument similar to a lute--at the age of 10. He was one of the first students to study at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, also known as the Rubin Academy. As a composer, singer and oud player, Makhoul has appeared in many ensembles, participated in workshops and taught in Jerusalem.
Makhoul took time from rehearsals to share thoughts on his music career and the experience of playing with Itamar.

Q: Could you describe your learning experience in your home village and in Jerusalem?

A: As people say, I was born in a family of musicians and poets. Actually the name of our village means "the village of poets." Two of my brothers are poets, and all my brothers sing and play instruments. When I started playing music as a child, they appreciated my sensibility. It is important when you grow up in a family that appreciates your ability, and it did help a lot with my later career.

I started to play oud when I was 10, but I had no teacher for 16 years until I decided to seek a musical career in Jerusalem at the age of 24. It was not easy to attend any university at that time, because until 1997 the Department of Oriental Music at the Rubin Academy, which was part of Hebrew University of Jerusalem, was opened, and I became one of the first students of the department.

There were stresses living in Jerusalem, with constant security checks on the roads. I was not comfortable, but generally I did not have any problems.

Q: How did you partner up with Itamar Doari as a percussionist?

A: I meet Itamar four years ago when I released my first CD "Athar" ["Footprints"]. I had done a number of concerts around Israel. One time I spoke to Itamar and invited him to play with me. I felt there was a very good understanding between us. We met again two years thereafter, and started to think about what we could do together. We tried a band with a guitar, a contrabass and ney flute. Somehow it did not work, so we decided to keep the band just for two. The musical feel was very strong between both of us, much better than when we worked with five or six persons. Then we started to appear together and we received positive responses from audiences. They liked it very much.

Our working together was not to tell the world that the Arab and the Jew can link together, that they can be brothers, working and living with each other. It is not the message of our combination.

The message is: I can play, sing, work and talk with all people with music. Through music, I express myself, and Itamar expresses himself. It is not something about politics or religions, or to tell the world that we are friends. The message for the world is that Sameer came from Palestinian family and Itamar from Jewish family, and that musicians can do something together.

Our working together is not always easy. If I want to go to Egypt, Jordan or Tunisia with Itamar and perform, I think there would be some problems. They don't like to do collaborations with Israeli culture. But I tell myself the project is for Itamar. This is our project and I don't want to replace him.

Q: What influences your music?

A: Arabic traditional music and Byzantine music of the church, which stems from traditional Turkish and Greek music, all have an influence on me. I like Byzantine music very much, very sensitive, large and wide.
What is special to our combination is that Itamar and I grew up at different times and we received different influences. Itamar's style has factors of Western modern music, such as jazz, and there is classical music and Arabic music in mine, and our sounds fuse together. I hope the audience in Taiwan will enjoy, and appreciate the common musical message over our different ethnic identities.


This article is published in Taiwan Journal Oct. 3, 2008.