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The World of Kan Zaman
 An Interview with Sami Asmar (President 1995-1998)
 

Kan Zaman is a community ensemble that specializes in classical and folk Arabic music. Based in Southern California, the ensemble has been an active non-profit organization formed of volunteer musicians and singers since 1994. The group has been well received in the community and has had great success (many sell out concerts) and tremendous potential for even higher achievements. The founding president of the group, Sami Asmar, has played a key role in forming the policies and general attitude of the organization, recognized as remaining above any differences in the community surrounding it. We had this interview with him to get a closer look at the world of Kan Zaman.

What inspired you and your friends to start the ensemble and pursue an unusual format for the local community?

Wael Kakish, the Artistic Director, and I, along with about half a dozen friends formed a small band, first for a performance that UCLA Professor Jihad Racy had suggested and then for our own fun. Being an amateur musician, I stayed on the side after that as the group took on commercial work. The turning point came at a social event where I introduced our band to a community group concerned with culture and arts. Dr. Wedad Abdou and several other friends who had been interested in Muwashahat initiated an effort to create an ensemble with our band as the seed. We excitedly worked hard on implementing this idea and, as the word spread, more singers and musicians joined us.

We had our doubts as to how far this effort would be accepted by the community since the latter had been more familiar with popular songs than classical music and poetry. We were surprised as participants would call it a dream come true. The encouragements from one individual at a time were very inspiring despite the different format we chose for ourselves and was resisted initially. It was not a format we had invented, obviously, but our community, again, was more familiar with entertainment mixed with food and drinks centered around a dance floor more than an auditorium and a "listening only" setting. We wanted to increase the awareness and the respect for the art, undistracted by the surroundings.

What are the typical challenges faced by the group?

The challenges include holding a large group together despite the different backgrounds and personal interests. Volunteers are committed as long as they are getting the personal emotional satisfaction they each expect in their own way. The dynamics within the ensemble are extremely interesting. People are drawn by the music in an incredible fashion as it takes over their lives for a few hours at a time when they rehearse or perform. Yet when we are outside of that ecstatic state of mind, we argue a lot. It is a hobby and an art, arguing, that is! They are family style debates and a form of comic relief when the group is stressed. Decisions are sometimes reached by a long process; the board of directors is effective but often struggles to maintain the family feeling and the spirit of the community effort at the expense of wise "business" decisions. That, of course, is to be expected from a community ensemble.

I am trained as a scientist, however, and often have difficulty making the switch from dealing with highly logical and organized activities to dealing with free-spirited artists, but I would not trade this wonderful experience for anything. A bigger challenge is to maintain the independent non-biased involvement in the community. As is the case practically everywhere, our local community has its distracters and benefactors and to remain outside those circles is tricky. Challenges are what keep me motivated and I welcome them.

How do you see yourselves affecting the younger generation of Arab-Americans?

Our goals are strictly educational as we attempt to form all our activities around informing the community in Southern California and the world at large about Arabic music and poetic singing as well as folk art. We were pleasantly surprised as large numbers of Arab American college students in the area saw in us what there were missing. These students were raised in Arab homes where classical Arabic music was either looked down on as old fashion or was not shared with the children. Parents who sincerely tried to keep their children in closer contact with their heritage were going against the current. The children turned to other musical styles including multi-cultural popular music and Arabic dance music. As they entered college, however, they started seeking a better understanding of their own identities as young adults. They watched as other ethnic student clubs proudly presented their ensembles to perform traditional arts. In the absence of an equivalent Arab ensemble, they brought dancers and sold falafel sandwiches propagating a stereotype that our culture lacked depth. I experienced this personally in college not too long ago.

Enter Kan Zaman with the unusual looking instruments like the 'ud, nay, qanun, and those amazing rhythms; suddenly there was a "national" art that is traditional yet exciting. We had young people in Kan Zaman that the students could relate to; they were energetic, eloquent, with an educated and modern lifestyle yet they proudly sang poetry that was as much as a thousand years old. Some younger people, had chosen not to speak Arabic; that too changed for some of them as the language took on a different flavor through us; I observed that personally with close friends and relatives. We ended up performing several major concerts at university campuses sponsored by student organizations. We could not be more proud of such an accomplishment.

And what is your long-term outlook?

We are fortunate to count many talented artists in the Kan Zaman family, and we are particularly blessed with a highly dedicated and hard working Artistic Director. Finally we are happy with the tremendous support of the community. The long-term outlook includes more organized educational activities at the lecture and seminar level, stronger publications, and more regularly scheduled concerts. The biggest ambition, however, is touring many Arab capitals to perform our music. have recently visited the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain, and since then, I have been daydreaming about Kan Zaman performing Andalucian Muwashahat in the heart of Andalucia.

-Published in Al-Jadid Magazine - Summer 1997 issue, reprinted with permission