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Abaji has worked as a music composer for TV shows, live shows and film. He recorded over 35 albums including
Elements, which has been used as score in several films and documentaries. The thematic of the albums varies including India, Exile, the Middle East, the Investigation series focused in a
193:, for being able to experiment with both electric and acoustic guitars. Being attracted by experimentation and discoveries himself, Abaji has always found fascinating the way Page could make percussion with the strings and produce aerial sounds on an electric guitar.
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In 2009, Abaji released the album
Origine Orients where he sings in five languages: French, Arabic, Turkish, Greek and Armenian. This album is recorded in two days with only one take per track. Abaji usually gets himself involved thoroughly in all of the process of
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His most recent album of 17 tracks Route & Roots was part recorded in
Armenia with duduk player Vardan Grigoryan and part in Paris with Kurdish musician Mahmut Demir. This album takes him to tour in over 60 countries including South Africa, Vanuatu Island,
204:, which he has practiced for over forty years. He became a therapist working for the psychiatric emergency services in Paris, using his tai chi and relaxation techniques with the patients.
169:, he started at a boarding school in a neighbourhood near Paris. That is when he began to write songs. Abaji says he was born again from that moment. As a teenager he was inspired by
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Abaji is an avid collector of instruments from all over the world. He owns over 300 instruments, which he has acquired in his travels and concert tours from countries such as:
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He loves improvisation and experimenting with new instruments. He sets himself to learn to play a new instrument every 4 to 5 months; he can play instruments such as:
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In 2003 he released his second album
Oriental Voyage with Network Medien record label. This is a tribute album to his great-grandmothers from
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together with Ramesh
Shotham. In this album Abaji is inspired by the spiritual heritage of his great-grandfathers from Smyrna and
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This debut album won him an invitation by guitarist Jean-FĂ©lix
Lalanne to participate in the event “Autour de la Guitare” in the
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in which songs such as Raml (Sand), Maa (Water), El Wahha (The Oasis) and Nejmet (Stars) can evoke the sounds of the desert.
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capital city, where he discovered music. He started to play the folk guitar at the age of 11. He had both the influence of
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Abaji has composed music for theatre and dance. He has produced various shows together with
Lebanese dancer Nawal Raad.
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venue in Paris. Abaji also collaborated on the album Desert Blues 2 with the song "Gibran" in tribute to poet
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geographic area, among others. All of his music has been used either for global television shows or
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In
February 1976 when Abaji was 17, the war in Lebanon forced him into exile. Upon his arrival in
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released by
Network Medien record label in 2002 which becomes an international success.
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Before establishing his music career further, Abaji studied and has been specialised in
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He regularly works for music agencies
Kosinus and CĂ©zame in Paris composing music for
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353:. His debut album Paris-Beyrouth was released in 1996 with Francis Varis playing the
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In 2016 the label 1 Revolution Music, directed by trailer music composer
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is an Armenian singer, songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist.
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Sandra-Isabel Knobloch (January 22, 2006). "Einzigartige Weltmusik".
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Elisabeth STOUDMANN (December 23, 2009). "ABAJI, Ă l'Est du Blues".
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Sarah Maurieres (July 18, 2008). "Les belles vibrations d'Abaji".
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Bertrand Lavaine (February 3, 2016). "Abaji mondialise l'Orient".
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In 2010 Abaji played for the popular Tiny Desk Concert series by
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Michel Troadec (March 2, 2003). "Abaji : Oriental Voyage".
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to take part on the recording. Later on, he went on to tour to
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and ancient instruments has inspired him to invent a 5-string
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Philippe Krümm (July–August 2010). "Portrait : Abaji".
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Salah Guemriche (March 15, 1996). "BĂ©douin'-blues ?".
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223:'s Troubadour” and began opening shows for artists such as
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He spent part of his childhood and early teenage years in
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532:, released Abaji's work called Middle East Soundscapes.
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He has also collaborated with Pakistani virtuoso singer
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N/A (January 19, 2006). "Der Troubadour der Beduinen".
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During Abaji's debut years he met film score composer
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On his next album Nomad Spirit, Abaji invited Indian
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Garath, Frederic (November 1996). "Paris-Beyrouth".
162:that he was exposed to in the streets of Istanbul.
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139:, from a Greek father, who left the Greek city of
143:in 1922 and from an Armenian-Syrian mother from
1032:Ben (January–February 2010). "Origine Orients".
978:Hervé Guilleminot (May 2003). "Sons du désert".
900:Arnaud Robert (2003). "Abaji, Oriental Voyage".
963:Daniel Brown (September 2005). "Nomad Spirit".
425:player Majid Bekkas and Armenian duduk master
840:N/A (November 3, 1997). "World Music/Abaji".
8:
744:N/A (March 16, 1996). "Une soirée à Paris".
820:Ben (July 21, 2015). "La caverne d'Abaji".
88:guitar, oud, bouzouki, clarinet, percussion
584:(Musical accompaniment to stories told by
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930:N/A (June 2001). "Abaji Bedouin'blues".
341:music in his style. He writes lyrics in
16:Lebanese singer and composer (born 1958)
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96:Absilone, CĂ©zame Music Agency, Kosinus
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945:Nathaniel Handy (May 2003). "Abaji".
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216:, who made an impact on his career
1088:Lebanese people of Armenian descent
947:Songlines, The World Music Magazine
279:as well as many other countries in
219:Abaji started to get known as the “
337:Abaji's has a mix of Oriental and
158:from his family's heritage and of
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1108:Lebanese people of Syrian descent
502:Film, TV, dance and theatre music
1103:Lebanese people of Greek descent
824:(in French). pp. 104 Ă 107.
695:"Abaji, des racines et des airs"
664:A, E (March 7, 2003). "Abaji".
621:Music related resources :
80:Composer, multi-instrumentalist
1:
383:. In this album he plays the
870:N/A (May 6, 1998). "ABAJI".
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1048:"Abaji: Tiny Desk Concert"
701:(in French). April 8, 2016
464:with Qawwali musicians of
359:Radio France International
72:Blues Oriental, film score
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786:(in French). p. 31.
496:Ustad Naseeruddin Saami
227:, John Mc Laughlin and
1019:Frakfurter Neue Presse
998:www.kennedy-center.org
582:Les mille et une nuits
38:Background information
1098:Musicians from Beirut
466:Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
325:that he plays with a
109:http://www.abaji.net/
1083:Lebanese oud players
421:, Moroccan oud and
1093:Lebanese musicians
822:Acoustic Guitarist
135:Abaji was born in
681:Acordéon Magazine
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617:Official website
427:Djivan Gasparyan
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304:bamboo saxophone
198:Chinese medicine
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605:Route&Roots
596:Origine Orients
564:Oriental Voyage
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491:in Washington.
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313:His passion of
277:Central America
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225:Geoffrey Oryema
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586:Jihad Darwiche
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546:Paris-Beyrouth
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489:Kennedy Center
415:Ramesh Shotham
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160:Oriental music
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555:Bedouin Blues
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412:percussionist
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370:Khalil Gibran
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214:Gabriel Yared
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85:Instrument(s)
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77:Occupation(s)
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55:(age 66)
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1055:. Retrieved
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1036:(in French).
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1021:(in German).
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1001:. Retrieved
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857:Ouest France
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703:. Retrieved
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645:ReverbNation
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573:Nomad spirit
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249:South Africa
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229:Suzanne Vega
218:
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208:Music career
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189:the perfect
183:Ravi Shankar
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1113:1958 births
917:Alger Infos
887:Donaukurier
872:La Terrasse
764:RFI Musique
731:Le Courrier
536:Discography
509:film scores
468:’s family.
389:harp-guitar
245:New Zealand
171:Cat Stevens
156:Greek music
1072:Categories
1057:2020-06-18
1003:2020-06-18
902:Vibrations
842:Libération
699:franceinfo
651:References
530:Yoav Goren
478:Costa Rica
327:violin bow
269:Costa Rica
235:The Artist
187:Jimmy Page
131:Early life
49:1958-08-19
1034:Guitarist
451:mastering
443:recording
417:with his
401:harmonica
355:accordion
191:guitarist
175:Bob Dylan
126:Biography
980:Classica
965:Mondomix
746:Le Monde
705:July 28,
666:Telerama
627:Kapagama
603: :
594: :
580: :
571: :
562: :
553: :
544: :
462:Pakistan
393:bouzouki
315:lutherie
253:Pakistan
145:Istanbul
1052:NPR.org
994:"Abaji"
636:MySpace
431:Germany
423:guembri
377:Armenia
366:Olympia
347:English
273:Oceania
265:Morocco
261:Lebanon
221:Bedouin
202:tai chi
152:Lebanon
105:Website
63:Lebanon
623:CĂ©zame
474:Panama
458:Lahore
449:, and
447:mixing
435:Aleppo
419:Thavil
381:Greece
351:French
343:Arabic
333:Albums
323:guitar
300:flutes
285:Europe
281:Africa
179:Fairuz
167:France
141:Smyrna
137:Beirut
93:Labels
69:Genres
59:Beirut
641:Abaji
632:Abaji
520:films
405:flute
339:Blues
319:sitar
308:duduk
257:India
120:Abaji
23:Abaji
707:2020
643:sur
634:sur
601:2016
592:2009
578:2005
569:2005
560:2003
551:2000
542:1996
518:and
476:and
403:and
397:daff
379:and
349:and
296:zarb
283:and
275:and
200:and
181:and
43:Born
485:NPR
385:oud
292:saz
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47:(
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