Suleiman Al Shaar
Afrah Al Qurdaha (Qurdaha Weddings)
SIDE A
SIDE B
Label
Super Cassette
Location Issued
Jerusalem, Palestine
Artist Origin
Tartous, Syria
More Info
A wedding party in Al Qardaha performed by Tartous singer Suleiman Al Shaar. It's clear that Al Shaar took care in recording his performances, as almost all his cassettes are characterized by high, clear recording quality, allowing us to enjoy his unique vocal timbre and refreshing string arrangement. As expected, it's difficult to perform a party in Al Qardaha without repeated salutations to the deposed Assad regime, which nearly spoil the Dal'ona section at the beginning of the tape if it weren't for Al Shaar's masterful performance that overshadows the lyrics. Al Shaar hails from the village of Fajleet in rural Tartous and began his career in the early 1990s when he was discovered by sound engineer Bassam Zeidan, founder of Al Arz Records. Zeidan recorded many of Al Shaar’s concerts, weddings, and private cassette albums. Alongside Zeidan, Syrian shaabi poet Talib Shahoud has been a key figure in Al Shaar's journey and influence, writing numerous mawals and atabas for him. Shahoud's contributions helped Al Shaar build a substantial repertoire of original songs in addition to the traditional works he revives in his performances.