In Disc-Cover, Turkish-Dutch guitar player and vocalist Göksel Yilmaz introduces his jewels from the record collection. He chose for none other than the diva of Arabic song, Fairuz.
Front and back sides of To Assy
In 2011, the great CD Gezgin by the Göksel Yilmaz ensemble was released, with charming eclectic music with influences from Arabic, Turkish and western music. The album also contains an ode to Fairuz. In that year, Fairuz gave her first concert ever in the Netherlands, on the occasion of the Holland festival.
This Lebanese singer, whose real name is Nouhad Haddad, was born in 1935. With the Egyptian Oum Kalsoum, she is the voice from the world of Arabic music. She released some eighty official albums, but the number of unreleased songs is said to be enormous still. Many of Fairuz’ works were composed or at least arranged by the Rahbany brothers. So too the songs on the CD Yilmaz chose, To Assy, with which a reference is made to Fairuz’ husband Assi Rahbani.
Göksel Yilmaz
- Göksel Yilmaz ensemble – Shat Iskenderiyya (trad)
Gezgin – private release - Ninha wel kamar
- Ana La Habibi
- Yara
- Bhibak Ma Ba’Rif
- Ya Mhairitil Alali
- Ala Mahlak
- Bouktoublak Bass
- Shalik Rafraf
- Shatti Ya Dini
- Ya Tair – Ya Hajal
- Hela Ya Wasse3
- Nassam Alayna El Hawa
- Bi’dou El Habayeb
- Habaitak Wel Shawk
- Ya Hourriye
Tracks 2-16: Fairuz – To Assy (all songs written, composed and arranged by Rahbany Brothers) – Voix de l’Orient VDL CD600