They ARE the Sultans…
This very fresh arrangement of an ancient traditional Lebanese song is also a musical tribute to Dick Dale who passed away in March, 2019. Dale was known as “The King of the Surf Guitar” who drew on Middle Eastern music scales in his arrangements (his father was of Lebanese descent). Sultans of String fleshed out this arrangement with the incredible string playing of Gündem Yayli Grubu, a Turkish Roma string group in Istanbul. They also brought in Syrian refugee Majd Sekkar, Algerian mandole player Fethi Nadjem, and Greek oud player Demetrios Petsalakis, who all now find their home in Canada.
Their upcoming album REFUGE will be released in March 2020. The guests on this project are out-of-the-park, including collaborations with Béla Fleck, Indigenous Elder Dr. Duke Redbird, Yasmin Levy, Edmar Castaneda, and many, many more.
REFUGE is “centred around the positive contributions of refugees and new immigrants to the United States/Canada,” says bandleader Chris McKhool, whose Lebanese grandfather stowed away on a ship bound for North America a century ago. “We are bringing in guests that are newcomers to this land, as well as global ambassadors for peace”.
