Growing up in a multi-cultural environment I was exposed to many musical styles. I saw the young nations of the Middle East struggling to reconcile issues of identity and purpose. Their musical crops reflected this reality.
Middle Eastern artist asked what constitutes true musical expression of the psychosocial and political changes that befall their societies?
During the 20th century several genius composers struggled with these questions while giving us some of the most beautiful tunes ever.In many cases artists from different, even enemy countries reached similar results. Middle Eastern melodies were combined with Western harmonic progressions. Symphonies were written using Arab scales, and Traditional pieces were enriched by western ideas and instruments.
Life in SOCAL exposed me to the diverse immigrant traditions of L.A., enticing me to mix sounds and motifs in pursuit of interesting musical alloys.
The question is not about "simplistic" juxtapositions of musical motifs, though.
More to come...stay tuned.