AN unreleased song by the late Bahraini musician Ali Bahar was heard for the first time by 500 adoring admirers in an event marking the 11th anniversary of his passing.
The rare recording by the iconic Brothers Band lead singer, guitarist and keyboardist was unveiled as a surprise on Monday at a concert held in his honour.
Family, friends and fans of the late artist gathered at the Abdelrahman Kanoo Cultural Centre in Buhair to honour Mr Bahar, popularly known as ‘the Bob Marley of Bahrain.’
The priceless never-before-heard track revealed in the memorial had been recorded a month before the artist’s untimely death in 2011 at the age of 51.
The two-minute-long song titled Umm el Khair (Mother of goodness) told the heart-breaking story of a son forced to put his mother in a nursing home despite his deep love for her.
The late artist, whose father Khamis was a sailor, sang it in the traditional style of ‘nahham,’ which pearl divers vocalised in unison to keep their spirits up during harsh voyages.
It was written by Salah Al Mohaiza using evocative words from his hometown Muharraq’s unique dialect, with verses portraying the man’s anguish.
“Ali sang from the very core of his soul,” said renowned singer and music scholar Ahmed Al Jumairi, recalling Mr Bahar’s musical brilliance.
“He introduced completely new rhythms to the ancient eastern melodic scales used in Arabic music. Ali Bahar’s works have been the subject of several academic studies exploring the musical theory behind its melodies.”
Mr Al Jumairi added that despite Mr Bahar’s genius and popularity, he was never materialistic and was always humble and modest.
During the event, Brother Band’s most well-loved numbers were performed by a group of musicians from Bahrain Musical Bands Society (BMB) who were influenced by Ali Bahar’s works.
Singers Abdulla Al Qassab, Hasan Abdulrazzaq and Fahad Mohamed and violinist Ali Al Oliwi performed alongside an assortment of talented instrumentalists from accordion to electric bass players.
Artist Mahmood Qambar performed one of Ali Bahar’s most popular songs Balad Aini, about the late singer’s undying love for Bahrain.
“Ali Bahar was an absolute icon,” said master of ceremonies Ghada Yaseen. “He captured the hearts of an entire generation and is still loved all over the Gulf.”
“Although he is no longer with us, his spirit continues to live on in his legendary, immortal music,” she added.
BMB media head Salem Saif told the GDN about Ali Bahar and Brother Band’s impact outside of Bahrain.
“The band is not just cherished in the Gulf, but also in countries like Iran, Yemen, Iraq and Algeria,” he said.
“Multiple Iranian bands and musicians have created translated tributes to Ali Bahar’s songs that were very loyal to the late artist’s vision.”
He added that the rare song Umm el Khair will be released online in the near future.
Fellow Brothers Band member Sultan Al Mas gave a short speech to the crowd, recalling fond memories of his friend during the group’s heyday.
“We founded Furqat Al Ekhwa (Brothers Band) in 1972, with the encouragement of Ali’s late older brother, actor Ibrahim Bahar,” said the vocalist and drummer.
“We started by playing jazz and slow music, but by the time we released our first album in 1986, Ali had slowly changed the style of the band into something completely original.”
Mr Bahar was said to have created a fusion of Eastern and Western music, combining Latin and tango music with classic Bahraini rhythms.
The Brothers Band consisted of Mr Al Mas and two sets of brothers – Ali Bahar and Isa Bahar, Ibrahim and Khalid Al Thawadi – later joined by Wajeeh Hassan. They released a total of 17 albums over their long tenure between 1986 and 2011.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
&uuid=(email))