<\/p>\n
\n\tJEDDAH:\u00a0The US Consulate General in Jeddah, in collaboration with Hayy Jameel, recently hosted a performance by the American bluegrass band Damn Tall Buildings at Hayy Jameel.<\/p>\n
\n\tAs part of their cultural program in Saudi Arabia, the band delivered a fresh and dynamic interpretation of the traditional genre, blending folk sounds with a contemporary energy that resonated with the audience.<\/p>\n
\n\tSaudi composer Majed Mohammed, who worked with the band to fuse Arabic music and bluegrass, described the experience as transformative.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cCollaboration is essential, and it is truly amazing. Experiences like this, where Arabic music connects with other cultures, help share our art with the community and broaden our understanding,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cFor me as a composer, working with them has been inspiring and has pushed me to explore new creative directions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tThe band members shared their perspectives on the collaboration, highlighting how their music and Arabic traditions complemented each other.<\/p>\n
\n\tMax Capistran, who plays guitar, banjo and vocals, explained that their set was a mixture of original compositions inspired by American blues, folk and bluegrass, alongside traditional bluegrass pieces and creative takes on popular songs such as Linda Ronstadt\u2019s \u201cBlue Bayou.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tHe added that for every international performance, they aim to learn a piece of music from the host country.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThis time, we were recommended Nancy Ajram\u2019s \u2018Leilah Law Bagi Leilah,\u2019 and now we can\u2019t stop singing it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\n\tSasha Dubyk, upright bass and vocals, noted the shared spirit between the two musical worlds.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cArabic music and bluegrass share the same heart and soul, with traditions rooted in instrumentation and emotion.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cEven with short rehearsals, the music came together naturally. It\u2019s the power of music connecting across cultures.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tAvery Ballotta, violinist and vocalist, reflected on the role of tradition in shaping the collaboration.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cBluegrass, originating from the mountains of Appalachia, is passed down by ear, in a familial and community-based way. This oral tradition informs how we write and perform music, and blending it with Arabic melodies created something new and vibrant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tCapistran also highlighted the impact on younger audiences: \u201cThe kids were curious and excited, asking about how long we\u2019ve been playing and how we bring music together. It\u2019s inspiring to see two very different cultures merge instantly through music, creating a powerful shared experience,\u201d Dubyk added.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cFood, music, and art play a crucial role in building bridges. Music touches everyone, no matter who or where they are. People have been incredibly friendly, attempting to speak Arabic and share their culture with us. Music is a universal language, and playing together allowed us to connect instantly with local musicians,\u201d Capistran said.<\/p>\n
\n\tEiman Elnaiem, public programs manager at Art Jameel, highlighted the importance of such collaborations.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cHayy Sounds is designed to foster cross-cultural exchange. The Brooklyn-based Damn Tall Buildings and Majed Mohammed blended jazz, bluegrass, blues, folk and classic Arabic songs, taking audiences on a journey full of energy, soul and passion.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cWatching them discover common ground proved that distance, language and expression cannot limit the universality of music. The reception from the crowd, especially children, was magical.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cArt Jameel continues to support artists from the region and beyond to grow, learn and create meaningful connections through music.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tZaina Ali, attending the show with her children, said: \u201cWe enjoyed it immensely and experienced the music like never before.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThe energy, talent and passion of the performers were truly inspiring. My children were so excited that by the end they were asking the band countless questions, taking pictures and even talking about learning to play music themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.arabnews.pk \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
JEDDAH:\u00a0The US Consulate General in Jeddah, in collaboration with Hayy Jameel, recently hosted a performance by the American bluegrass band Damn Tall Buildings at Hayy Jameel.
As part of their cultural program in Saudi Arabia, the band delivered a fresh and dynamic interpretation of the traditional genre, blending folk sounds with a contemporary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2057758,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2057757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Renowned-regional-models-star-in-Doja-Cats-latest-music-video.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2057757","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2057757"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2057757\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2057758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2057757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2057757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2057757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}