We’re huge fans of Podcasts (we got sucked into ones like Serial, Song Exploder and Hardcore History to name a few) but couldn’t find any that focused on Middle Eastern Music.
That’s why we made one.
We’re proud to launch the first 3 episodes of our TAQS.IM Middle Eastern Podcast. The Podcast discusses playing, performing and appreciating Arabic, Armenian, Assyrian, Balkan, Greek, Kurdish, Persian, Turkish music and more. You can listen to our podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Google Podcasts and Stitcher. Just click on the links or search for “TAQSIM” wherever you listen to Podcasts. Make sure to Subscribe and Leave a 5-star review as well – it’ll really help us spread the word! Here’s an overview of our first three episodes:
Episode 1: Your Gateway to Middle Eastern Sound Topics Include:
- Introduction to the TAQS.IM podcast with Andrew Kzirian and Aram Hovagimian of TAQS.IM, focusing on Middle-Eastern music
- Background and discussion of the TAQS.IM project and the meaning of the term musically and figuratively
- Overview of the 3 main TAQS.IM elements of community, sounds, and education
- TAQS.IM’s free radio station featuring various artists and different styles of music
- TAQS.IM’s blog posts which discuss various topics in Middle-Eastern music and the newsletter
- TAQS.IM’s synth sounds and libraries
- TAQS.IM music and rhythm app for iPad (iPhone coming soon with scale converter)
- One man band discussion about Khatchig Jingirian
- Sample libraries are already available
- TAQS.IM is working on new recordings for sample libraries moving forward (i.e. the oud)
- TAQS.IM offers instructional videos for oud lessons
Episode 2: The 7 Oud Players You Need to Listen to Now Topics Include:
- Discussion of TAQS.IM’s blog entry for the “7 oud players you need to listen to” post
- Purpose to raise awareness and promote education on these influential musicians
- Our Philadelphia roots
- George Mgrdichian – fusion and classical expertise
- John Berberian – role as a musician who was the son of immigrants
- Yurdal Tokcan – prominent Turkish oud player and fretless guitar
- Farid el Atrache – famous Arab oud player and actor/singer
- Simon Shaheen – virtuosic Palestinian concert player
- Ara Dinkjian – globally renown oud player and composer
- Naseer Shamma – influential Kurdish oud player
- The list is only of 7 oud players, there are so many others that could have been included
- It’s a good approach to listen to as many different players as possible to appreciate all the different styles
Episode 3: Interview with John Berberian Topics Include:
- An overview of how Berberian got started in Music and playing the Oud
- Working with record labels making albums with Mainstream Records, Verve Forecast, RCA and MGM starting in the early 1960s
- The thriving Middle Eastern music scene of Berberian’s early years, and the mixing and collaboration of different cultures
- Berberian’s father’s role as an oud player in his musical development, and the initial design to start with the violin
- Using western classical approaches to play Middle Eastern music
- The comparison of Ravi Shankar and the Sitar to the industry effort to promote the oud
- The landmark oud rock album
- Berberian’s love of Arab music
- Discussion of different types of oud playing
- The symbiotic relationship of the oud and the guitar and making music with these instruments together
- Advice to those learning the oud
Again, make sure to subscribe/follow wherever you listen to Podcasts. We’ll be releasing new episodes regularly!