The Crossing, Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture, and Navona Records present Words Adorned. Conducted by Donald Nally, with Takht musical direction by Hanna Khoury, the combined forces interpret lush scores from Kinan Abou-afach and Kareem Roustom; the music is at times driven and passionate, at others mystical and lyrical, responding to ancient Andalusian poetry in the Muwashshah tradition. The takht – masterfully handling the oud, qanun, violin, cello, and percussion – guides the kaleidoscopic sounds and colors in these poems of love, revelry, and war, with additional solo work by the virtuosic singer Dalal Abu Amneh. True to their commitment to honor tradition while constantly blazing new ground, The Crossing’s latest offering is steeped in history, deeply relevant to modern listeners, and bridges cultures seamlessly.
THE CROSSING
Jessica Beebe • Karen Blanchard • Steven Bradshaw • Veronica Chapman-Smith • Jeffrey Cutts • Colin Dill • Robert Eisentrout • Ryan Fleming • Joanna Gates • Steven Hyder • Michael Jones • Heather Kayan • Heidi Kurtz • Frank Mitchell • Maren Montalbano • Rebecca Myers • Rebecca Oehlers • James Reese • Elisa Sutherland . Daniel Schwartz • Rebecca Siler • Julie Snyder • Daniel Taylor • Jackson Williams
Donald Nally conductor
Dalal Abu Amneh soloist
Al-Bustan Takht Ensemble
Hanna Khoury violin and music director
Wassim Odeh oud
Hicham Chami qanun
Kinan Abou-afach cello
Hafez Kotain percussion
Recorded December 4, 2015 at Goodhart Hall, Bryn Mawr College in Bryn Mawr PA
Live Sound Assistant Jonathan Orose
Recording Assistant James Clark Conner
Recorded, Mixed, Edited & Mastered by Joe Hannigan at Weston Sound
The 2021 re-release on Navona Records is produced by Donald Nally, Jonathan Bradley, and Kevin Vondrak
Artwork by Ashley Choukeir – ashleychoukeir.com
The recording was made and originally released as part of an Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture multimedia project inspired by Andalusian poetry, with a series of events and newly commissioned works bridging the traditions of East & West. Major support for WORDS ADORNED has been provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, with additional support from the Arab Fund for Arts & Culture and the William Penn Foundation.
The Al-Bustan team who has developed this project includes Founder/Executive Director Hazami Sayed, Music Director Hanna Khoury, Project Manager Ahmad Almallah, Marketing Director Morgan Gengo, Publicist Cindy Byram, Digital Designer Ayman Alalao, and Program Assistant Eman Haj. Ashley Choukeir and Hanane Kai created the graphic identity and designs, Dave Tavani created the series of videos documenting the process, Jasmine Erdener created the podcasts, and Joe Hannigan provided sound and audio recordings.