Cool Stuff no.3 - Asmahan, Annapurna Devi, Fathy Salama

I did some research on a Syrian-born female singer named Asmahan. Her family moved to Egypt when she was three and that is where she began singing. It is said that her voice was one of the only female voices in Arab music world to pose serious competition to that of Umm Kulthum, who is considered to be one of the Arab world's most distinguished singers of the 20th century. Asmahan’s  family knew the composer Dawood Hosni, and she sang the compositions of Mohamed El Qasabgi and Zakariyya Ahmad. She also sang the compositions of Mohammed Abdel Wahab and her brother, Farid al-Atrash. Asmahan’s vocal style was unique compared to other Middle Eastern singers of that time. In some of her songs, she would switch from the traditional Arab style to classical Western style. In 1941, during World War II, Asmahan returned to Syria at the request of the British. She was on a secret mission to notify her people in Jabal al-Druze that the British and Free French forces would be invading Syria through their territory, and to convince them they should not fight. The British and Free French had promised the independence of Syria and Lebanon to all inhabitants on the date of the invasion. The Druze agreed, even though some groups did not receive word in time and fought the invading forces. After the Allies secured Syria, General Charles de Gaulle visited Syria. When the Allies failed to carry out their promise for Syrian independence, Asmahan tried to contact the Nazis in Turkey, but was stopped at the border and sent to Lebanon. On 14 July 1944, a car carrying Asmahan and a female friend crashed and went into a canal at the side of the road, after the driver lost control. They were presumed to be rendered unconscious and ultimately drowned. The driver, however, managed to escape. These circumstances gave rise to many suspicions. British intelligence, for example, after many reports circulated claiming she had been working for them, was accused of getting rid of her after she had attempted to meet with German agents. The German Gestapo was also accused of murdering her for the help she had given the British.

Annapurna Devi, the first wife of Ravi Shankar and daughter of Allauddin Khan, was the finest surbahar player of her time.  Her father steered her towards playing this instrument whose deep voice, meditative quality, larger size and difficulty in mastery makes it extremely rare, even among aficionados. Following her unhappy marriage, she withdrew from public view; Annapurna Devi lead an isolated and lonely life, largely confined to her apartment. She never made a professional recording. The only recordings that exist of her playing were made covertly and are of poor quality. After the mid-1950s, she never played her instrument in public again and did not allow herself to be photographed. Even the Padma Bhushan, the highest prize given to performing artists in India, was delivered to her home. After she left the public eye, reportedly, the only outsider to hear her play was George Harrison, whom she allowed to sit in on one daily practice session — an experience granted only after much coaxing from India's then-prime minister, Indira Gandhi. In a 2010 interview, Devi said: “I am at peace when I am teaching a few of my students or when I am practicing or feeding pigeons." By many accounts, Devi was considered to be the best classical artist in India in the 20th century, but she chose to erase herself from public life for more than 60 years.

Fathy Salama is the only Grammy winner from the Arab world. Born in Egypt, he grew up listening to Umm Kulthum on the radio and learning to play the piano.  Later in his life, he visited Europe and New York to work with jazz musicians such as: Barry Harris, Pat Patrick, and Hal Galper. He won his Grammy in 2004 for Best Contemporary World Music Album.