Your average Oud player are a dime a dozen in the States and in Europe. You can find them in lounges, weddings, events, and hookah places. But nevertheless, it's still fun to see those oud players break character. Most listeners of oud Music take themselves way too seriously.
One guy who plays the Oud is not most players, he is a riot. Master oudist/vocalist Shawkat Sayyad and his wife, Nazira, perform Middle Eastern music every weekend at the Pasha Lounge in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Jensuya of TarabRaqs and other diners joined in the fun. See his toast bit, the guy is a natural.
I have seen Shawkat perform before in Virginia at the Jerusalem Restaurant when they opend up their Diwan lounge. He is an older gentleman who does not have to pretend or to act all uppity. I love the man not because he plays good classical Arabic music, but because he reminds me of my grandfather who is a free sprit and likes to say whatever he wants to say.
Jensuya Raqs with Shawkat Sayyad at Pasha Lounge
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