The City of San Diego is home to one of the most vital and culturally diverse populations to be found anywhere in America. The Participant Observer is a web magazine dedicated to discovering and showcasing the wide variety of culturally interesting events, people, places, and organizations our city has to offer. Our continuously updated Events Calendar provides comprehensive information about current and forthcoming events in San Diego. In addition to covering local events, The Participant Observer publishes features and articles about cultural events and phenomena happening around the world. We urge you to explore the many other resources our site provides.

Music of the Month

Our International Music of the Month suggestion is Blue Maqams by Anouar Brahem. A virtuoso oud player from Tunisia, Brahem is known for blending Arabic and folk music with jazz. At a very young age, he studied at the Tunis National Conservatory of Music and was later mentored daily by the renowned oud master Ali Sriti. Brahem became a pioneer of the Ethno-Jazz movement, incorporating elements from various world music traditions into his compositions.

Blue Maqams features a collaboration with accomplished jazz musicians: drummer Jack Dejohnette, bassist Dave Holland, and pianist/composer Django Bates. The title of the album refers to the maqam system, a collection of melodic forms used in Turkish and Middle Eastern music. "Blue" is, of course, a reference to a fundamental element of Jazz, the blues. The album exemplifies Brahem's signature style, seamlessly fusing traditional Middle Eastern melodies with intricate jazz improvisation making it the most improvisation-heavy album of his career. For listeners who are more inclined to more purely traditional music, Brahem has also created albums rooted in Middle-Eastern classical and folk music, such as Rabeb (1989) and Andalousiat (1990).

Note: As an Amazon Associate we (The Worldview Project) earn from qualifying purchases.