Djuwel

Djuwel, playing pieces from the Arabo-Andalusian repertoire of Algiers but also original compositions, create lively or contemplative moods. The melismatic singing of Habib Guerroumi is effectively supported by the lute, which he plays himself, the guitar, played by Christian Vasseur, and the cello, played by Jean-Christophe Lannoy. These fine musicians move back and forth between East and West, tradition and modernity.

They evoke the music of Cordoba, where so many worlds once existed side by side in harmony. Djuwel was created in February 2005, for the soir?e organised in support of the French hostages in Irak, Florence Aubenas and Hussein Hanun al Saadi, at the Th??tre du Nord in Lille by the newspaper Lib?ration. Contacted to play Arab-Andalusian music for the occasion, Habib Guerroumi decided to form a trio with Christian Vasseur and Jean-Christophe Lannoy to show that Arab and Western cultures are capable of getting together to create beauty. In Arabic ?Djuwel' means ?travel', ?journey', or the explorations of a curious mind. Bees gathering nectar and pollen and pollinating flowers could be seen as a fine example of ?djuwel'. Djuwel's repertoire consists of music from the Arab-Andalusian repertoire of Algiers, plus original compositions by its three members. Habib Guerroumi, who has inherited that long tradition, is also very interested in other types of music. So Djuwel revisits Arab-Andalusian music, while scrupulously respecting the rhythmic and modal structure of the works. A new slant is proposed through harmonisation and impressionistic colours. The instrumental passages, sometimes composed, sometimes improvised, may be seen as windows open onto other worlds. The voice, lute, guitar and cello complement each other, and converse on an equal footing. The melismatic singing of Habib Guerroumi is effectively supported by the lute, which he plays himself, the guitar, played by Christian Vasseur, and the cello, played by Jean-Christophe Lannoy. The musicians constantly move back and forth between East and West, tradition and modernity. Djuwel creates lively or contemplative moods, evokes sunshine in the desert, the perfumes of Eastern markets, the sounds of cities, the intimacy of interiors, the rustle and hum of gardens, soft light filtering through the latticework of a moucharaby, time standing still on an afternoon in the medina? Djuwel evokes the music of Cordoba, where so many worlds once existed side by side in harmony