This film was shot and edited within one week on location in Glasgow to subsequently be broadcast in Bahrain whilst the musicians were still on tour.
Shifting Sands is an ongoing British Council initiative, bringing together musicians from the UK and around the Arabian Peninsula.
Shifting Sands – British Council from Tarmak Media on Vimeo.
The project bridges cultural boundaries primarily through the shared heritage of seafaring music, from rhythmic work chants to narrative ballads and desolate laments.
This film follows creative sessions in Glasgow and resulting performances at Celtic Connections 2011 – Europe’s premier folk, roots, world and traditional music festival.
It highlights some of the issues and themes at the heart of the project, and was commissioned to prompt further discussion amongst practitioners in the UK and Middle East.
Under the musical directorship of Bellowhead’s Andy Mellon (trumpet, piano) the Celtic Connections line-up featured the following musicians:
From the UK:
Pete Flood (percussion), Sam Carter (guitar and vocals), Corrina Hewat, (harp and vocals), Inge Thomson (accordion and vocals) and Matheu Watson (fiddle).
From Bahrain:
Mohammed Aseeri (qanun), Hasan Hujairi (guitar and oud), Ahmed Al Ghanem (flute), and Arabic percussion duo Mohamed Hamada and Thani Salem Thani.