Khyam Allami
Encyclopedia
Khyam Allami is a British-based musician and musicologist of Iraqi descent. He is best known as a contemporary player of the Arabic oud
lute (working both with traditional Arabic repertoire and with contemporary compositions and cross-disciplinary music) and has also written about and lectured on Arabic music.
Allami has studied oud
and composition with a variety of musicians and composers from the Arab world, including Ehsan Emam, Naseer Shamma
, Abdo Dagher, Hazem Shaheen and Mehmet Bitmez. His most prominent public appearance to date has been at the 2010 Proms concerts
in London. He performed on August 9, 2010 as part of Prom 33: BBC Radio 3 World Routes Academy alongside one of his mentors, Iraqi guitarist and singer Ilham Al Madfai. He also currently performs and promotes oud
-based concerts in London under the title of Ud and Elsewhere, in which he collaborates with other musicians from diverse backgrounds.
Allami has also worked within the rock music field as a drummer and bass guitarist, having played for bands including Ursa, Art of Burning Water and (currently) Knifeworld
and Gales.
family in Damascus
, Syria
, in 1981. Although his parents were not actively musical, he grew up surrounded by Arabic music (as well as music from other cultures). From the age of seven he learned accordion
and violin
, and at the age of eight played the role of a young violinist in Rimon Butrus’s 1991 film Al-Tahaleb. The Allami family relocated to London, UK
, when Khyam was nine years old.
and immersed himself in Western rock
(in particular, bands such as Soundgarden
, Melvins, Killing Joke and Tool
. During this period he also learned how to play guitar
, bass guitar
and drums.
In 1996 Allami joined the London
based hardcore punk
band Ursa as drummer (alongside singer/guitarist Jodie Cox, bass player Paul Arnold and guitarist Wayne Pennell). Ursa worked together for four years and released one single, “Copper Eight” (on Schism Records) as well as various appearances on indie rock compilations. In their last year of existence, Ursa met and worked with The Monsoon Bassoon
(whose Iran
ian-born guitarist Kavus Torabi
would become one of Allami’s future collaborators). Following the amicable split of Ursa in 2000, Allami became the bass guitarist and occasional vocalist for the gothic punk/sludge metal band Art of Burning Water (with guitarist/vocalist Geith Al-Robei and drummer Michael Frances McKenna).
However, Allami had remained interested in the music of the Middle East
, which had continued to inspire him throughout his time in rock bands. In 2002, he began to experiment with playing the oud
, but his initial attempts were unsuccessful and he gave up after a few weeks.
In addition to his studies with Emam, Allami took an Ethnomusicology course at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), graduating in 2008 with a BA Honours degree. This in turn led to a scholarship to continue his studies for a Masters degree in Music Performance as Research, specialising in the Iraqi oud school and its antecedents. He began playing concerts in London and elsewhere as part of this work. Performances during this period included a concert in June 2008 with the Sabina Rakcheyeva Trio in Baku
, Azerbaijan
(broadcast on the national Azeri television station AZTV) and a solo oud session for BBC Radio 3
’s World Routes programme in August 2008.
In 2009, Allami studied at Beit al-‘Ud al- ‘Arabi in Cairo
with another Iraqi oud master, Naseer Shamma
(on a research grant from the British Institute for the Study of Iraq). He also studied composition with Abdo Dagher (basing the work on Dagher’s own compositions) and Egyptian oud repertoire and technique with Hazem Shaheen. In December 2009 he began working with the Royal Shakespeare Company, providing music for the two-month run of the play Arabian Nights at the Courtyard Theatre
in Stratford-Upon-Avon
.
In April 2010, Allami studied Turkish oud with Mehmet Bitmez in Istanbul
. During the same year, he gained mentorship from BBC Radio 3's World Routes Academy program, travelling to the Middle East for three weeks to work with various musicians including the renowned Iraqi singer/guitarist Ilham Al Madfai. This culminated, in August 2010, with Allami performing in front of an audience of thousands at the 2010 Proms, as part of a double bill with Ilham al-Madfai
which was also broadcast live on BBC Radio 3
. Allami based his own performance on repertoire from the Iraqi maqam, and duetted with al-Madfai on a number of songs.
he draws inspiration from contemporary classical and rock composers and musicians including Frank Zappa
, King Crimson
, Secret Chiefs 3
, Philip Glass
, Jaz Coleman
and others.
guitarist Kavus Torabi
) and for Gales (an experimental rock quartet featuring ex-Foe guitarist Jason Carty (who was also Allami's replacement in Art of Burning Water).
Oud
The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
lute (working both with traditional Arabic repertoire and with contemporary compositions and cross-disciplinary music) and has also written about and lectured on Arabic music.
Allami has studied oud
Oud
The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
and composition with a variety of musicians and composers from the Arab world, including Ehsan Emam, Naseer Shamma
Naseer Shamma
Naseer Shamma is a renowned Arab Iraqi musician and oud player.He was born in 1963 in Kut, a city on the Tigris River. He is born to a Fayli Kurdish father and a Khazrajite Arab mother. He began studying the oud at the age of 12 in Baghdad, following in the footsteps of Jamil and Munir Bashir...
, Abdo Dagher, Hazem Shaheen and Mehmet Bitmez. His most prominent public appearance to date has been at the 2010 Proms concerts
The Proms
The Proms, more formally known as The BBC Proms, or The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in London...
in London. He performed on August 9, 2010 as part of Prom 33: BBC Radio 3 World Routes Academy alongside one of his mentors, Iraqi guitarist and singer Ilham Al Madfai. He also currently performs and promotes oud
Oud
The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
-based concerts in London under the title of Ud and Elsewhere, in which he collaborates with other musicians from diverse backgrounds.
Allami has also worked within the rock music field as a drummer and bass guitarist, having played for bands including Ursa, Art of Burning Water and (currently) Knifeworld
Kavus Torabi
Kavus Torabi is a British musician and composer . A multi-instrumentalist, he is known for his work in the avant-garde rock field...
and Gales.
Background and early life
Khyam Allami was born into an IraqiIraqi people
The Iraqi people or Mesopotamian people are natives or inhabitants of the country of Iraq, known since antiquity as Mesopotamia , with a large diaspora throughout the Arab World, Europe, the Americas, and...
family in Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, in 1981. Although his parents were not actively musical, he grew up surrounded by Arabic music (as well as music from other cultures). From the age of seven he learned accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
and violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, and at the age of eight played the role of a young violinist in Rimon Butrus’s 1991 film Al-Tahaleb. The Allami family relocated to London, UK
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, when Khyam was nine years old.
Musical activity before 2003 (alternative rock)
In his teenage years, Allami rejected his original Iraqi background. He abandoned his former instruments, stopped speaking ArabicArabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
and immersed himself in Western rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
(in particular, bands such as Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
, Melvins, Killing Joke and Tool
Tool (band)
Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
. During this period he also learned how to play guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and drums.
In 1996 Allami joined the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
based hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
band Ursa as drummer (alongside singer/guitarist Jodie Cox, bass player Paul Arnold and guitarist Wayne Pennell). Ursa worked together for four years and released one single, “Copper Eight” (on Schism Records) as well as various appearances on indie rock compilations. In their last year of existence, Ursa met and worked with The Monsoon Bassoon
The Monsoon Bassoon
The Monsoon Bassoon were a British independent rock band active between 1995 and 2001, notable for their exceptionally complex and energetic music. During their lifespan, the band won the NME's Single Of The Week award three times...
(whose Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian-born guitarist Kavus Torabi
Kavus Torabi
Kavus Torabi is a British musician and composer . A multi-instrumentalist, he is known for his work in the avant-garde rock field...
would become one of Allami’s future collaborators). Following the amicable split of Ursa in 2000, Allami became the bass guitarist and occasional vocalist for the gothic punk/sludge metal band Art of Burning Water (with guitarist/vocalist Geith Al-Robei and drummer Michael Frances McKenna).
However, Allami had remained interested in the music of the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, which had continued to inspire him throughout his time in rock bands. In 2002, he began to experiment with playing the oud
Oud
The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
, but his initial attempts were unsuccessful and he gave up after a few weeks.
Musical activity since 2003 (oud player)
A drastic change in Allami’s musical career was precipitated by the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Despite never having been to Iraq himself (he would later describe it as “a land I had never seen, air I have never breathed, people I hardly knew”) Allami found that the invasion forced him to reappraise and revive his own cultural roots. Pained and shaken by events (“Iraq burned and I couldn't do a single thing about it”) he opted to demonstrate solidarity by making a serious attempt to take up oud playing and began studies with the London-based Iraqi 'ud maestro Ehsan Emam. In March 2004 Allami bought his own oud and decided to dedicate his life to the instrument and to its music. In order to do this, he left Art of Burning Water.In addition to his studies with Emam, Allami took an Ethnomusicology course at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), graduating in 2008 with a BA Honours degree. This in turn led to a scholarship to continue his studies for a Masters degree in Music Performance as Research, specialising in the Iraqi oud school and its antecedents. He began playing concerts in London and elsewhere as part of this work. Performances during this period included a concert in June 2008 with the Sabina Rakcheyeva Trio in Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
, Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
(broadcast on the national Azeri television station AZTV) and a solo oud session for BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
’s World Routes programme in August 2008.
In 2009, Allami studied at Beit al-‘Ud al- ‘Arabi in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
with another Iraqi oud master, Naseer Shamma
Naseer Shamma
Naseer Shamma is a renowned Arab Iraqi musician and oud player.He was born in 1963 in Kut, a city on the Tigris River. He is born to a Fayli Kurdish father and a Khazrajite Arab mother. He began studying the oud at the age of 12 in Baghdad, following in the footsteps of Jamil and Munir Bashir...
(on a research grant from the British Institute for the Study of Iraq). He also studied composition with Abdo Dagher (basing the work on Dagher’s own compositions) and Egyptian oud repertoire and technique with Hazem Shaheen. In December 2009 he began working with the Royal Shakespeare Company, providing music for the two-month run of the play Arabian Nights at the Courtyard Theatre
Courtyard Theatre
The Courtyard Theatre is a temporary 1,048 seat thrust stage theatre building in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Designed by Ian Ritchie Architects and built in 11 months, it opened in August 2006 to host performances by the Royal Shakespeare Company while its Royal Shakespeare and Swan Theatres...
in Stratford-Upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers...
.
In April 2010, Allami studied Turkish oud with Mehmet Bitmez in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. During the same year, he gained mentorship from BBC Radio 3's World Routes Academy program, travelling to the Middle East for three weeks to work with various musicians including the renowned Iraqi singer/guitarist Ilham Al Madfai. This culminated, in August 2010, with Allami performing in front of an audience of thousands at the 2010 Proms, as part of a double bill with Ilham al-Madfai
Ilham al-Madfai
Ilham al-Madfai is an Iraqi guitarist, singer and composer. al-Madfai's synthesis of Western guitar stylings with traditional Iraqi music has made him a revered and popular artist in his native country and throughout the Middle East...
which was also broadcast live on BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
. Allami based his own performance on repertoire from the Iraqi maqam, and duetted with al-Madfai on a number of songs.
Work as composer
In addition to his work on maintaining the existing oud repertoire, Allami is an active composer. He has stated that in addition to being influenced by Arabic composers such as Hossein Alizade, Abdo Dagher and Naseer ShammaNaseer Shamma
Naseer Shamma is a renowned Arab Iraqi musician and oud player.He was born in 1963 in Kut, a city on the Tigris River. He is born to a Fayli Kurdish father and a Khazrajite Arab mother. He began studying the oud at the age of 12 in Baghdad, following in the footsteps of Jamil and Munir Bashir...
he draws inspiration from contemporary classical and rock composers and musicians including Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
, King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
, Secret Chiefs 3
Secret Chiefs 3
Secret Chiefs 3 is an instrumental rock group led by guitarist/composer Trey Spruance . Their studio recordings and tours have featured different line-ups, as the group performs a wide range of musical styles including surf rock, Persian, Arab, Indian, death metal, film music, electronic music,...
, Philip Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
, Jaz Coleman
Jaz Coleman
Jeremy "Jaz" Coleman is a musician, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is notable for his vocal contributions to rock band Killing Joke...
and others.
Work as promoter and concert host
Allami currently hosts an ongoing concert series in small venues in London, called "'Ud and Elsewhere". These concert feature solo performances by Allami as well as collaborative performances from musicians of various cultures.Ongoing work as rock musician (2008 onwards)
Since graduating from SOAS, Allami has also resumed his work as occasional rock musician. He currently plays drums for Knifeworld (the psychedelic project led by former Monsoon BassoonThe Monsoon Bassoon
The Monsoon Bassoon were a British independent rock band active between 1995 and 2001, notable for their exceptionally complex and energetic music. During their lifespan, the band won the NME's Single Of The Week award three times...
guitarist Kavus Torabi
Kavus Torabi
Kavus Torabi is a British musician and composer . A multi-instrumentalist, he is known for his work in the avant-garde rock field...
) and for Gales (an experimental rock quartet featuring ex-Foe guitarist Jason Carty (who was also Allami's replacement in Art of Burning Water).
External links
- Khyam Allami homepage
- Strange Glue meets Khyam Allami - in-depth interview