LP – Standard Edition Black Vinyl with insert. Those profiled include Egyptian guitarist Omar Khorshid, maverick producer/arranger/composer Elias Rahbani, mysterious talents like Nicolas Dick andRobert Maalouf and the father of the labels founder, Abdallah Chahine, a pianist of immense talent. As told in detailed liner notes by DJ, music researcher andlegacy-keeper Ernesto Chahoud and Natalie Shooter, this period of Lebanese music formed the soundtrack to the city of Beirut during its multipletransformations, from its 1950s to 1960s heyday as the Switzerland of the Orient through to the mid 1970s and 1980s, when it soundtracked the tragic daysof the Lebanese Civil War. From Chahouds liner notes: I spent years going through thousands of titles from one of the largest catalog of Lebanese and Arabicmusic, by one of the earliest labels in the Arab world, Voix De LOrient, to handpick the 12 songs that represent a survey into this momentous catalog. TheLebanese musical experiment, stretching almost seven decades, has offered one of the most complex and fully fledged modern Oriental scenes of the Arabworld. These 12 songs were released in different periods and embody a wide range of musical ideas from the most adventurous on the Voix De LOrient label,those musicians that played major roles in the renaissance of ancient musical traditions. So, from the 60s and 70s, youll hear Adballah Chahine improvisingon Oriental scales on a custom-made piano that hedeveloped in order to play quarter tones; youll engage the radical approach to folkloric music from the legendary Iraqi composer and oud player Munir Bechir;youll enjoy the timeless blend of Occidental and Oriental forms as fused by the genius Elias Rahbani. The songs by Georgette Sayegh, Adib Abou Antoun andRobert Maalouf give a sense of Lebanons unique 70s and 80s pop sounds.You might think that this music comes from a foreign, faraway culture, and Isuppose it does, for some, but this music is close to us all. This anthology is presented 100 percent free of cultural appropriation. This album is a genuineattempt to escape the ephemeral aspect of everyday, fast music fashions. This album is absolute beauty to play out loud, while waiting for the second volumeto come. Tracklist: A1. Abdallah Chahine – Nakreese – Taqsim: Hawwil Ya GhannamA2. Munir Bachir ShurudA3. Tony Frangier & Setrak Sarkissian – Azef El-leylA4. Robert Maalouf – Anna W LeilA5. Nicholas Dick – Un Voix Qui M\’ApelleA6. Jacques Kodjian – Bent El-Shalabiya B1. Elias Rahbani – Dance of MariaB2. Adib Abou Antoun AddayerB3. Georgette Sayegh – Yay Yay Ya NassiniB4. Mohamed \”Mike\” Hegazi & His Golden Guitar NouniB5. Emaad Sayyah – Mazoufat NaghamB6. Omar Kourshid – Arrissassa