Cedarhead

On the 1st of April 2006, I arrived in Beirut for the second time. My first visit was the previous year for Irtijal 05 with saxophonist Peter Brötzmann. I was going back because I couldn't get enough of the place and the people. For Irtijal 06, I played duos with David Stackenäs and Axel Dörner. Locally I became engaged in several projects, but the most exciting was the recording sessions with seven of Lebanon's most interesting improvisers. Engineer Marc Codsi set up his equipment in the grand music room of the Bustros Palace in the Achrafieh District, and over one week, Christine Sehnaoui, Béchir Saadé, Jassem Hindi, Mazen Kerbaj, Raed Yassin, Sharif Sehnaoui, and Charbel Haber each came in for a full improvisation session. I let the recordings sit unattended until the 11th of July 2006, when I returned home after nearly 4 months on the road. The next day, the “July War” broke and lasted 34 days. I tried to keep in daily contact with those in Beirut and devoured every piece of news I could find. This is when I began listening to the sessions and making preliminary selections, trying to configure each one into a natural sequence. There was so much good material that I could have made at least 5 different sequences. For me, listening to the music in this very special time made it all a quite intense experience, a unique way to get closer to those who had become my friends. I was told there are few cedars left in Lebanon. But there are at least 8 CEDARHEADS! Michael Zerang 23 November 2006