Hani Naser

Hani Naser (Arabic: هاني ناصر‎) was a Jordanian-American musician. He specialized in the oud and hand percussion instruments,[1] particularly the goblet drum and djembe.

Hani Naser
هاني ناصر
Background information
BornErmameen, Jordan
OriginYonkers, New York, U.S.
DiedNovember 16, 2020
Ojai, California
GenresWorld music
Occupation(s)Multi-instrumentalist, percussionist
InstrumentsOud, goblet drum, djembe
Years active1968–2020
Associated actsDavid Lindley
Websitewww.haninaser.com

Naser was considered by critics to be a master in his field;[2] Randy Lewis of the Los Angeles Times called him a "Veritable Hand Drum Wizard." He performed and recorded with a number of prominent musicians, including Nicky Hopkins, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Ry Cooder, Jim Keltner, Steve Miller, Los Lobos, Violent Femmes, Don Henley, Hamza El Din, Kazu Matsui, Jennifer Warnes, David Broza, Paco de Lucía, Santana, Brian Ritchie, Tony Trischka, Leftover Salmon, Quick Silver Messenger Service, John Hiatt, Warren Zevon, Ruben Blades, Lou Reed, The Blind Boys of Alabama, 7 Walkers (Bill Kreutzmann, Papa Mali, George Porter Jr., Matt Hubbard), and David Lindley.

Early life

Naser was born in Jordan, in the mountain community of Ermameen where his grandfather was the village poet.[3] His family were Christians from Nazareth, having converted from Judaism many centuries before. When Naser was seven months old, his family moved to New York state, the county of Westchester, where he was raised.[4] He returned occasionally to Jordan; Naser remembered that his grandfather "would grind and roast coffee, playing these rhythms, singing and chanting, the villagers would come up and he’d recite poetry. It was amazing."[5]

Naser drummed on Arabic percussion instruments from early childhood, and received an oud as a gift when he was seven years old. He played the oud and various drums without taking lessons. He was in a rock and roll band in the 1960s in his early teens, the band winning a contest to play regularly at the House of Liverpool in Yonkers, where they also backed musical acts from the UK who arrived without a full band. Naser said, "We did it for a whole summer, the experience of a lifetime."[5]

Naser dipped into the nightlife of Manhattan by taking the train to hear Bob Dylan and Joan Baez in the beatnik atmosphere of the 1960s, and he heard the Afro-Cuban jazz and Latin music developing in the Lower East Side.[4] He moved to California for college, and joined the U.S. Air Force.[5]

Career

Naser broke into the Los Angeles music scene by impressing Lebanese singer Samira Tewfik with his unusual rhythmic style in July 1970 when she was auditioning musicians for an appearance in Pasadena, California.[5]

Naser collaborated with multi-instrumentalist David Lindley in the early 1990s. They produced two "official bootleg" albums, Live in Tokyo Playing Real Good and Live All Over the Place Playing Even Better, released on Lindley's own Pleemhead label.[6] Paul Harrar of The Union called the duo "One of the finest jam sessions in the music business." Los Angeles Times music critic Randy Lewis writes: "David and Hani make a convincing case for the essence of musical forms and in the process they have produced an enduring testament to the timeless flexibility and resonance of the Middle Eastern, flamenco, rock n roll, jazz, and blues forms." Their album Live in Tokyo was chosen by Guitar Player magazine as one of the top 100 albums of the last decade.

Naser was featured on Hamza El Din's album A Wish which topped the World Music charts. He recently toured the war-torn Middle East with Israeli singer-songwriter David Broza to promote peace through music, a mission very close to Hani's heart. They were invited by the Israeli and Jordanian Governments to perform in concert during the peace signing between the two countries.

Hani also led intensive workshops titled "The Healing Powers of Rhythm and Music" at the Esalen Institute and other places, and formed a band with Walfredo Reyes Jr., Armand Sabal-Lecco, and Craig Eastman.

Death

Guitarist Gayle Ellett of Djam Karet announced on Facebook on November 18, 2020, that his "great friend Hani Naser passed away this week."[7] Ellet had participated many times in Naser's 10-piece band playing contemporary Arabic music and world music.

References
  1. "HANI'S BIOGRAPHY". haninaser.com. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
  2. "Acoustic Guitar Master Toulouse Engelhardt New CD "Perpendicular Worlds" Due June 8". guitarinternational.com. 29 April 2010. Archived from the original on 24 November 2010. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
  3. "Los Lobos heads outdoors for concert". Santa Maria Times. September 10, 1993. p. B-8 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Spence, Rebecca (June 30, 2013). "Jordanian-born oud player plants seeds of peace". Times of Israel. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  5. Hawkins, Si (May 17, 2016). "Oud and percussion virtuoso Hani Naser brings his magic to Dubai". The National News: Arts & Culture. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  6. https://www.theunion.com/news/two-nights-two-guitars/
  7. Ellet, Gayle (November 18, 2020). "RIP Hani Naser". Facebook. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.