Solo track from the CD "The Second Baghdad"  by oud virtuoso and composer Rahim AlHaj

Dream (Helum) (by Rahim AlHaj)

Duo track from the Grammy nominated CD "When When The Soul Is Settled" by oud virtuoso and composer Rahim AlHaj

Rahim AlHaj - oud
Souhail Kaspar - percussion

Taqsīm Maqām Sharqī Rast (by Rahim AlHaj)

Track from the CD "Little Earth" by oud virtuoso and composer Rahim AlHaj with Cape Verdean vocalist Maria DeBarros

Rahim AlHaj - ouds
Maria DeBarros - vocals


Missing You/Mae Querida (by Rahim AlHaj featuring Maria DeBarros)

Rahim AlHaj 
From the acclaimed CD Letters From Iraq by Rahim AlHaj (Smithsonian Folkways)

a powerful musical meditation on consequences in a post-war reality

Rahim AlHaj has long sought through his music to give voice to those most vulnerable, those without a way to be heard, to those who are victims of circumstances - unintended or otherwise.  Now Rahim presents his most powerful work yet.  Letters From Iraq (Smithsonian Folkways, April 2017) is a poignant telling through music of war, it’s aftermath and it’s consequences.  These stories become more than an aural presentation. They are truly a virtual visual reality at the hand of Rahim and a cast of masterful musicians, each piece presenting a unique scenario, together  weaving a complete tale of devastation, pain, redemption and, ultimately, hope.

Virtuoso oud musician and composer Rahim AlHaj was born in Baghdad, Iraq and began playing the oud at age nine.  He went on to study under Munir Bashir, considered by many to be the greatest oud player of the 20th century, and Salim Abdul Kareem, at the Institute of Music in Baghdad, Iraq.  Rahim received various awards at the Conservatory and graduated in 1990 with a diploma in composition.  In 1991, after the first Gulf War, Rahim was forced to leave Iraq due to his activism against the Baath regime. He moved to the US in 2000 as a political refugee.  Rahim became a US citizen on August 15, 2008

Rahim has performed around the globe and is considered one of the world’s finest oud players. He has recorded and performed with many other master musicians of varied backgrounds and styles including guitarist Bill Frisell, accordionist Guy Klucevsek, sarod player Amjad Ali Khan and indie-rockers REM.  He has composed pieces for solo oud, string quartet, string orchestra,  symphony and more.  Delicately combining traditional Iraqi maqams with contemporary styling and influence, his pieces establish new concepts without altering the foundation of the traditional “Iraqi School of Oud”.  His compositions evoke the experience of exile from his homeland and of new beginnings in his adopted country.  Rahim has released nine CDs since 2002, two of which received Grammy® nominations.   His latest, Infinite Hope (2015), was recorded in collaboration with Amjad Ali Khan, a follow up to their 2008 Grammy-nominated Ancient Sounds.   In 2009 Rahim was honored with a United States Artists Ford Fellowship Award and in 2015 the National Endowment for The Arts Heritage Fellowship. Rahim continues to perform around the world and speak out against oppression in his ongoing mission to “give voice to the voiceless”.

Letters From Iraq

Going Home (by Rahim AlHaj)

Forbidden Attraction (by Rahim AlHaj)

Rahim AlHaj has long functioned as a politically conscious musical goodwill ambassador. Last year, the Iraqi-American oud virtuoso, who fled his native country in 1991 after being imprisoned twice for his opposition to the Saddam Hussein regime, issued the powerful album "Letters From Iraq" which brought to life correspondence he received from Iraqi women and youth. Now the two-time Grammy nominee tells his own remarkable story with "One Sky",  his third album for Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.  

"One Sky" also serves as the debut album by the Rahim AlHaj Trio, as it features the supreme talents of Iranian santūr player Sourena Sefati and Palestinian-American percussionist Issa Malluf. The record is a deeply immersive sonic experience on which the three world-renowned musicians weave transfixing textures and melodies that transport listeners to a world of tranquility and limitless beauty.

With "One Sky", Rahim AlHaj, along with Sourena Sefati and Issa Malluf, makes good on his commitment to creating music that bridges all cultural and sociopolitical divides.  Filled with gloriously intoxicating waves of sound and brilliant melodies, it succeeds in spreading AlHaj’s message of global understanding and love.

One Sky

A Gift from a Sufi Soul

Fly Away

Time to Have Fun

Dialogue

From the acclaimed CD Letters From Iraq by Rahim AlHaj (Smithsonian Folkways)

Voices To Remember (by Rahim Alhaj)

Fly Home (by Rahim AlHaj)

Running Boy (by Rahim AlHaj)

Eastern Love (by Rahim AlHaj)

The Last Time We Will Fly Birds (by Rahim AlHaj)

Unspoken Word (by Rahim Alhaj)

Celebrated Honduran singer and songwriter Nohelia Sosa convenes her Santos for and instantly fresh mix of Latinx soul, passion and attitude on "Cumbia Buena"  Stay tuned for debut CE Tempestad, coming May 22, 2020!

Cumbia Buena (by Nohe & Sus Santos)

On their first single, "Mal Amor",  Nohe & Sus Santos, fronted by celebrated Honduran singer and songwriter Nohelia Sosa delivers some sensual and passionate Latinx vibes.  Stay tuned for debut CE Tempestad, coming May 22, 2020!

Mal Amor (by Nohe & Sus Santos)

Avokado Artists is a 360° arts organization dedicated to cross-cultural understanding through art and the cultivation, promotion, presentation and preservation of culturally significant artists and their work from around the globe. We strive to bring the works of these artists to the attention of the broadest possible audience. The organization was founded in 2004, and was granted 501(c)3 status in 2009. We represent artists in the fields of music, visual arts and writing. Avokado Artists mission is to spread the work of these artists to the broadest possible audience through myriad mediums including performance, workshops, presentations, publications, video, photography, printed publications including books, electronic media and various contextual materials as well as recordings and distribution through our in-house label Avokado Artists Recordings. Avokado Artists also co-Directs/Produces/Curates two New Mexico Festivals: Festival Chispa New Latin Music in June and ¡Globalquerque! New Mexico's Annual Celebration of World Music & Culture in September. 

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