This Island Earth
Sunday August 3rd, 2025 with Manmohan Panesar
Tribute to legendary recently passed Lebanese composer/musician/playwright/activist Ziad Rahbani + lots of funky new releases from all over the globe
"Lebanese musician and composer Ziad Rahbani, son of the iconic singer Fairuz and a pioneer of fusion jazz, has died at the age of 69 of a heart attack. “On Saturday at 9:00am, the heart of the great artist and creator Ziad Rahbani stopped beating,” said a statement from the hospital where he was being treated in the capital, Beirut, on Saturday. Rahbani influenced generations of Lebanese people with his songs and especially his plays, whose lines are known by heart by both young and old. He was the son of Fairuz, the last living legend of Arabic song – and one of the most famous Arab women worldwide – and composer Assi Rahbani, who, along with his brother Mansour, modernised Arabic song by blending classical Western, Russian, and Latin American pieces with Middle Eastern rhythms. “I admire the music of composers like Charlie Parker, Stan Getz and Dizzy Gillespie,” Rahbani once said. “But my music is not Western, it’s Lebanese, with a different way of expression.” Fairouz also became an icon for young people when Rahbani composed songs for her influenced by jazz rhythms – he called it “oriental jazz”. Lebanon’s leaders paid a heartfelt tribute to the Lebanese composer, who was also a playwright, pianist and political provocateur. President Joseph Aoun called Rahbani “a living conscience, a voice that rebelled against injustice, and a sincere mirror of the oppressed and marginalised”. “Lebanon has lost an exceptional and creative artist, a free voice that remained faithful to the values of justice and dignity” and who said “what many did not dare to say”, said Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. Rahbani’s works reflected the hybrid heritage of Lebanon, which, until the civil war erupted in 1975, was a cultural melting pot. It also reflected the ensuing sectarian strife, which involved bloody street battles between rival militias and three years of violent Israeli occupation after the 1982 invasion. While Fairuz transcended the powerful sectarian divides in the country, her son chose to be resolutely left-wing and secular, denouncing Lebanon’s longstanding divisions. His breakout play, Nazl el-Sourour (Happiness Hotel), premiered in 1974 when he was only 17, portrayed a society disfigured by class inequality and repression. The play follows a group of workers who take over a restaurant to demand their rights, only to be dismissed by the political elite. In another play, Bennesbeh Labokra Chou? (What About Tomorrow?), he plays a jaded bar pianist in post-civil war Beirut. The work features some of Rahbani’s most poignant music and biting commentary, including the famous line, “They say tomorrow will be better, but what about today?” Rahbani was also a composer of staggering range. He infused traditional Arabic melodies with jazz, funk and classical influences, creating a hybrid sound that became instantly recognisable. His live performances were legendary, when he often played piano in smoky clubs in Hamra, one of Beirut’s major commercial districts. In recent years, Rahbani appeared less in the public eye, but younger generations rediscovered his plays online and sampled his music in protest movements. He continued to compose and write, speaking often of his frustration with Lebanon’s political stagnation and decaying public life. “I feel like everything is over, I feel like Lebanon has become empty,” wrote Lebanese actress Carmen Lebbos, his former partner, on X. Rahbani is survived by his mother, now 90, his sister Reema and brother Hali. "
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/26/ziad-rahbani-pioneering-lebanese-musician-and-composer-dies-at-69
Abu Ali Ziyad Al Rahbani - Abu Ali - EP |
Marba El Dalal Joseph Sakr & Ziyad Al Rahbani - Bema Enno |
Shou Hal ' Iyam Ziyad Al Rahbani & Sami Hawat - Ana Moush Kafer |
Aayesh Wahda Balak Ziyad Al Rahbani - Bennesbeh Labokra Chou |
Prelude Theme from Mais Al Rim Ziyad Al Rahbani - Abu Ali - EP |
Mukadimah '87 Fairouz - Kifak Inta |
Kifak Inta Fairouz - Kifak Inta |
Oghniat Al Wadaa Fairouz - Kifak Inta |
Forest Nativity (Extended Version) Francis Bebey - Trésor Magnétique ![]() |
Quand Le Soleil Est La (Alternate Drum Machine Version) Francis Bebey - Trésor Magnétique ![]() |
IBA ELEDUA Wura Samba - AJO Rebirth ![]() |
OGBO LALA Wura Samba - AJO Rebirth ![]() |
The Government Neglects Our Region Famo Mountain - For Those Left Behind ![]() |
Prayer for Peace Famo Mountain - For Those Left Behind ![]() |
My Voice Mádé Kuti - Chapter 1: Where Does Happiness Come From? ![]() |
Story (feat. Femi Kuti) Mádé Kuti - Chapter 1: Where Does Happiness Come From? ![]() |
YO POR TI Grecia Albán - NUBES SELVA ![]() |
RIO MAR Grecia Albán - NUBES SELVA ![]() |
CON MI TAMBOR Grecia Albán - NUBES SELVA ![]() |
Cocoricô Banda de Pífanos Caju Pinga Fogo - DETRÁS DA SERRA ![]() |
Chicharra Empanadas Ilegales - Sancocho Trifásico ![]() ![]() |
Mano Peluda Empanadas Ilegales - Sancocho Trifásico ![]() |
São para poucos (feat. Thalin, VCR Slim, iloveyoulangelo, Pirlo & Cravinhos) Avenida Paulista, da Consolação ao Paraíso - Avenida Paulista, da Consolação ao Paraíso ![]() |
Onde eu não vou (feat. Arnaldo Antunes & Gui Calzavara) Avenida Paulista, da Consolação ao Paraíso - Avenida Paulista, da Consolação ao Paraíso ![]() |
Vai e vem (feat. Alzira E & Verónica Valenttino) Avenida Paulista, da Consolação ao Paraíso - Avenida Paulista, da Consolação ao Paraíso ![]() |
Consolação, Paraíso (feat. Os Fita) Avenida Paulista, da Consolação ao Paraíso - Avenida Paulista, da Consolação ao Paraíso ![]() |
Primos Adrian Quesada & Hermanos Gutiérrez - Boleros Psicodélicos II ![]() |
Traporal Calle Mambo - Retumba La Tierra ![]() |
Inflation DjeuhDjoah & Lieutenant Nicholson - Danses divines ![]() |
Consentement DjeuhDjoah & Lieutenant Nicholson - Danses divines ![]() |
Po moru je plovila galija (feat. Ružičnjak Tajni) Raphael Roginski - Bura (feat. Ružičnjak Tajni) ![]() |
Artigos de São Paulo! Avenida Paulista, da Consolação ao Paraíso - Avenida Paulista, da Consolação ao Paraíso ![]() |
De Reis (feat. Juçara Marçal & Verónica Valenttino) Avenida Paulista, da Consolação ao Paraíso - Avenida Paulista, da Consolação ao Paraíso ![]() |
Heya Earthlings out there. Drop me a line right here with any comments, feedback, musings or questions or whatever. Just go for it and let loose!
1:06 PM, August 3rd, 2025