Introducing: "Barakat"

Editor’s note: I, the writer and editor, married Sam Shahin a couple weeks before sending this issue to print (notice the new byline?). So, on this subject, I’m about as biased as one could possibly be. That said, the rest of the editorial team agreed that this project is pretty cool, so, here we are. 

Jazz, and aspirations to study it, are what initially drew Sam Shahin to New Orleans fifteen years ago. Now, the powerhouse drummer for jazz fusion band Naughty Professor (as well as countless other musical acts)  is launching a project of his very own—inspired by the jazz music of his adopted home, as well as the Arabic soundscapes of his ancestral home of Lebanon.

"No matter where I’ve lived, I’ve always been drawn to New Orleans, and connected with the spirit of the city,” Shahin said. “I jumped at the opportunity to learn jazz on the drum set in the place where both were invented.”

“The music of Barakat is alive, it’s breathing, it’s always capable of being shaped or nurtured not only by the performers, but by the listener. It’s not just us sharing our experience—the performance is a shared experience in and of itself.” —Sam Shahin

The title of the project, Barakat, is derived from Shahin’s paternal grandmother’s, or “Sittee’s” (in Arabic) maiden name, which is also the Arabic word for “blessings”. Shahin finds it fitting, as the project is intended to be  an ode to the universal impact of family matriarchs, shared heritage, and generational blessings. The debut on April 10 at Marigny Opera House will consist of two suites of Shahin’s original music—one named for his paternal grandmother (“Sittee’s Suite”), the other named for his maternal grandmother (“Nana’s Suite”). Shahin’s compositions incorporate elements of jazz like instrumentalist solos and extended harmony, layered atop complex and hypnotic rhythms, inspired by the folk music of the Levant.

Barakat centers Shahin on the drum kit as well as other percussion like tongue drum (a round metal drum with “tongues” that is played with mallets) and darbuka (a hand drum popular throughout the Middle East). Besides Shahin, Barakat includes guitarist and international strings virtuoso Raja Kassis, emotive bassist Calvin Morin-Martin, and masterful pianist and keyboard player Sam Kuslan. Classical harpist Cassie Watson and acclaimed pianist Oscar Rossignoli will also be featured in Barakat’s premiere. While the lineup on stage promises high-energy musical captivation, Shahin hopes  the audience will shape the energy of the performance, as well.

“The music of Barakat is alive, it’s breathing, it’s always capable of being shaped or nurtured not only by the performers, but by the listener,” Shahin said. “It’s not just us sharing our experience—the performance is a shared experience in and of itself.”

Barakat premieres at Marigny Opera House at 7:30 pm on April 10. Tickets are a suggested donation of $25 ($15 for students, seniors, etc.), though no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Find more information at marignyoperahouse.org.