ARTS & entertainment
ARTS & entertainment sourath singing strong New CDs feature ancient Chaldean language AL IRAQI In May, Majid Zangilou released his most recent CD, Al Iraqi: The Light of My Eyes, in which he cowrote several of the Sourath songs. “Ever since I released my first CD in 1985, my songs have been predominantly in Sourath,” Zangilou said. “My recent CD only has cover songs in Arabic that are sung at weddings and other gatherings, and only one of those Arabic songs is an original. Most of the songs on there are in Sourath.” Al Iraqi includes three Sourath duets with renowned Assyrian singer Juliana Jindou. “I had a song on my CD in 1998 with the singer Nidal Hanna, who at the time was becoming recognized as a local talent,” Zangilou said. “So I wanted to have a female singer on this CD also.” After leaving Iraq in 1979, Zangilou and his family lived in Greece for a year before finally arriving in the United States in 1981. Now he plans to have videos produced within Iraq to accompany several of his new songs. “I’ve already been in contact with Ishtar Television back home,” he said. “They’re interested in producing the videos for me.” Thair Joseph, the owner of Harp Studio and one of the most recognized keyboardists in the local community, was responsible for the production and engineering of Zangilou’s CD. “It took endless hours of work,” Joseph said. “We put in a lot of hours creating and recreating the music and vocals. In the end it turned out to be a nice recording, and a lot of people are requesting some of Majid’s Sourath songs at parties.” Zangilou expresses a tremendous amount of gratitude to the people who helped compose and create the CD. “Thair did an amazing job with the production of the recording,” he said. “He spent countless hours mixing, mastering, and making sure that everything sounded great.” BY OMAR BINNO AND JENNIFER T. KORAIL The use of Sourath continues to grow and pervade today’s Chaldean music here in the United States. Several local artists over the last five years have resurrected old Sourath songs and added their own Western pop flavor. And now some have branched off into writing new and original material in Sourath. Here’s a look at two artists who embrace the ancient Chaldean language. Zangilou’s future plans include releasing more music in both Sourath and Arabic. “From here on, each CD will focus on one language or the other,” he said. “I don’t plan on mixing the two together anymore. I definitely plan on releasing more songs in Sourath on upcoming CDs, and will have videos for many of them.” Al Iraqi: The Light of My Eyes can be purchased at local Chaldean-owned convenience stores. For booking information, call (586) 344-4092. Majid Zangilou KHELYOOTET KHAYEE Isaac Isaac, who immigrated to California in 2004, has high hopes for continuing his love of music in America. Isaac recently produced his debut CD, Khelyootet Khayee, a collection of self-written and -composed songs in Sourath that bring to life its theme, which in English means “the sweetness (or pleasures) of life.” The CD has eight original tracks about such subjects as life, love, beauty and fun. The lead track, “Kaedamtakh Brekhta” (“Good Morning”), will soon be featured as a video clip on Ishtar TV. A popular and fairly well-known musician among Chaldean communities in Iraq, particularly the village of Araden, Isaac wrote music and lyrics for special occasions like weddings and events, and also for his church, where his songs are still sung and played today. It is not a surprise that love for music ran in Isaac’s family. His late father, Gewargis, was a singer who was regularly featured on Iraqi radio. Family friend Toma Goriel of Orange County, California, recalled listening to him on the radio. “Isaac’s father had a very nice voice and passed his talent on to his son,” Goriel said. “While you can’t say the two have the same sound since Isaac’s is more modern, I can remember and hear the same love for music in their voices.” While this is Isaac’s first CD, his work has been known for a number of years by popular performers such as Linda George. Her CD Doushi features the song “Jwanqeleh” (“He Is Handsome,”) which Isaac wrote and composed. Isaac hopes to inspire the younger generations to learn and play Chaldean folk songs and hymns. He dedicates much of his free time to teaching the children of St. George Chaldean Catholic Church in Santa Ana songs in Aramaic, and even composed a song for local catechism students to sing for their First Communion. “I love to see the children and the younger generations sing,” he said. “I try to do something here for the kids so that they can learn to love music too.” He also wants to help ensure that Sourath continues to thrive among young Chaldeans. “We have an ancient language. My wish is that we don’t leave it behind,” he said. “Chaldeans are music makers at heart; music comes from us. We should work together not to lose our language and our distinct music. This is my passion.” At age 35, Isaac acknowledges some of the challenges that come with pursuing his dreams. “Here it’s a little bit more difficult. I am a little older now and I am starting over here,” he said. “I hope that it is in God’s will for me to continue my Isaac Isaac love for singing and music. I want to share and put to good use what God gave me, and to also keep contributing to the church with it.” He has made much progress on the West Coast, singing at wedding parties and other events such as the third annual Chaldean Assyrian Youth Convention recently held in San Jose. Isaac has a positive attitude towards meeting his goals. “There is nothing impossible,” he said. “I just have to work hard for it.” To obtain Isaac Isaac’s CD or book him for an event, call (909) 282-6440 or e-mail isaacishac@hotmail.com. 44 CHALDEAN NEWS AUGUST 2008
AUGUST 2008 CHALDEAN NEWS 45
