“This is love! This is Peace!” he said, as the elated audience cheered wildly. A fiery female drummer added dimensions to his smooth electric guitar. The magnetism of his rendition captured hearts. Carlos Santana, whose unique blend of rock and Latin American jazz made him a name to reckon with in the international music scene, came up with a power-packed performance at his ‘Divination Tour,’ on the first evening of the Formula 1 Grand Prix held in Bahrain recently.
It was a meeting of maestros that evening at the Bahrain International Circuit. Santana’s scintillating symphony made hearts race as did the cars in the presence of Formula One World Champions Sebastian Vettel (winner of the 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix) and Lewis Hamilton. Members of the audience, from different countries, gathered to revel in the high-voltage drama.
Santana came up with his all-time hit ‘Black Magic Woman’. “I grew up with this song. Oh la la!” exclaimed Bouchra, an elderly Moroccan lady breaking into dance.
The Kingdom of Bahrain is known for its pluralistic values and a friendly, welcoming spirit, encouraging diverse musical styles to thrive within its boundaries. Even noted bands like ‘Musicians Without Borders’ have successfully performed in Bahrain. Apart from western pop, rock and classical, Bollywood and even South Indian film and classical music find prominence within the Indian diaspora. Boasting of ancient traditions, Bahrain stands as one of the Gulf’s most important cultural centres.
A traditional Bahraini folk drummer ( global strains column by Krishnaraj Iyengar)
Among the varied styles within Arabic music, the Gulf boasts of rugged, earthy and expressive ‘Khaliji’ repertoire of indigenous musical styles. While Bahrain is host to Arabic genres even from the Levant and the Maghreb, traditional Gulf music is famed for its swingy rhythms that are inspired by the camel’s gait. The themes revolve mainly around love, longing, devotion and praises of the local ruler.
At Bahrain’s old Manama Souq, an afternoon of all-male folkloric music had a mixed, international gathering in awe. Sturdy musicians draped in traditional ‘thowb’ (white robe) with sparkling white ‘ghutrah’ scarfs held by a black ‘Iqaal’ ring and bright red jackets rendered full-throated folk numbers with raw energy as they formed a square, sometimes a circle.
Along with the customary Oud lute and Derbakki drum, a horizontal drum closely resembling the ‘thavil,’ and large duffs gave pounding accompaniment to the singers. While some accompanists squatted on the exquisite carpet, the lead singers and dancers stood in the center of the ring.
A fascinating horse dance with stark similarities to the ‘Poikkal Kuthirai’ of South India was the highlight of the performance.
Acrobatic movements by the lead dancer, holding a beautifully crafted horse head and draping himself (head to toe) in a red embroidered translucent cloth, was accompanied by salutations to Prophet Muhammad by the lead singer and a chorus of ‘La ilaha illallah’.
Bahrain has also produced many iconic singers like Hind, teenage star Hala Al Turk, Khaled El Sheikh and Malayalam singer Mamta Mohandas to name a few.
The writer, a multi-linguist, is an international performer and composer
