LOS ANGELES: Grammy-nominated Lebanese American musician Souhail Kaspar is known for his mastery over a range of percussion instruments — and he is continuing to inspire a new generation of instrumentalists with master classes that stretch from Los Angeles to the Middle East and Japan.
The percussionist, who has performed across the world and collaborated with British singer Sting on the classic hit “Desert Rose,” spoke about his roots and why it is so important to instill a love for traditional Arab music among younger generations.
Kaspar explained that his father, who was a musician, caught onto his talent when he was just seven years old. After that, Kaspar undertook a strict three-year degree program at Nadi Al-Fonun Al-Arabia in Aleppo, Syria, where he learned Arab percussion theory and techniques. During that time, he played alongside regional singing icons such as Sabah, Wadih El-Safi and Farid Al-Atrash.
After moving to the US and earning a Grammy nomination for the 2008 Iraqi song “When the Soul is Settled,” Kaspar was inundated with collaboration requests from Western musicians.
“Everybody wanted to do something with the Middle East, every singer … first of all, they want to know what's the difference between Egyptian and Lebanese and Syrian (beats). And I show them and show them the music,” he said.
Kaspar went on to note just a few of the differences between Western and Arab music.
“In Western, they only have eight to 10 maqams,” he said, referring to the traditional Arab system of melodic modes. “We have over a hundred maqams. The Arab music in North Africa is rich in maqams. That's what they love about Arab music … they like to learn the traditional music.” He added.
When it comes to Arab youth living in Western countries, Kaspar said they are sometimes surprised to learn about the richness of the region’s musical heritage.
“Even the new generation, put the music (on) for them and they say, ‘is this from our home?’ Yes it’s from our home!” he laughed.
The musician is also credited on the soundtracks for the movies “The Prince of Egypt” and “Sinbad,” the documentaries “Darfur Now” and “The Great Bazaars,” and as a guest percussionist with the Kronos Quartet, an American string quartet based in San Francisco.
“You have to have a classical (music), if you don’t have classical you don’t have anything,” Kaspar concluded.
