Who is Aboudi Badawi - A three way interview by Morwenna Assaf

Anyone who has purchased either  Katia in Youm el Farrah, produced by Katia Nordgren of Boston or  Belly Dance with Nourhan Sharif produced by Nourhan Sharif of NYC has heard of Aboudi. He was nominated for best recording at the 2001 International Academy of Middle Eastern Dance in Los Angeles . I thought you might be interested in knowing more about him as he is a very talented individual and having a little insight into the business of producing and creating music. Aboudi is fast becoming a household name in the dance circle.

About Aboudi Badawi:

Born Abdallah Badawi in Lebanon in the Northern town of Amoun in 1957. His first interest in music started at age 6 and was greatly influenced by an uncle. By age 9 he was performing and continued to play accordion into the seventies, heavily influenced by the Rhabani Brothers and the music of the late Halim Hafez and Oum Koulthoum of Egypt .

After a short period in Kuwait in 1976 he arrived in Boston to attend college (1977). By 1978 he was playing at the Continental Restaurant on a weekly basis with other local musicians. At this time he met Amira, Katia, Morwenna and Nara Yaout who comprised the Middle Eastern Village Folk Dancers directed by Morwenna. He was completely surprised to see Western girls dancing to Arabic music with such passion. He continued playing and joined the group Al Badiah Band. At this time he started playing the Arabic Org. He started teaching piano throughout the Lebanese community. During the same era he played in most of the Arabic clubs where he worked with Boston ’s finest musicians. In 1988 he recorded his first demo tape of Feiruz and Rahbani music.

In the early 1990’s he did theater shows with Boston ’s near East Dance Theater and performed in NYC for the Late Ibrahim Farrah and for Yousry Sharif. He has performed with top Middle Eastern stars.

Aboudi is an active composer where he has produced many CD’s for George Chamoun, Nourhan Sharif and Katia all with original compositions. Aboudi has currently completed his recording Studio (STUDIO 15) with the latest digital equipment and produced various projects from demos to professional level teaching tapes.

We will definitely hear more from Aboudi Badawi!

Interview with Katia and Nourhan by Morwenna Assaf.

Morwenna- “What made you go into the recording business?” 

Katia- “I just decided to collaborate with Aboudi on making Youm el Farrah which somehow seemed a natural thing to do.

Nourhan – “He asked me. He told me he was greatly inspired by my dancing. I trust him completely. When ever he is there I know I am protected. When he is there everything will be OK.”

Morwenna – “Why did you pick Aboudi?”

Katia – “He had done a couple of CD’s for singer George Chamoun and then Nourhan had asked him to do a dancer’s CD. It was a natural progression after working with him for so long .it seemed the next logical step in our dancer-musician relationship. We felt we knew each other well enough. We had been part of so many steps in each other’s careers.”

Nourhan  - “I was working with him a lot, We got along really well and he asked me to listen to some compositions. He is incredibly talented and nobody was aware he was composing.”

Morwenna – “Did you help choose the musicians?”

Katia – “I had complete trust in Aboudi and most of the musicians had also been part of my dancing careers in nightclubs, Near East Dance Theater shows, seminar shows and hafli’s. I would have chosen exactly the same people.

Nourhan - It was the regular band and we were working together a lot. We were in a groove and the CD is a snapshot in time of my career and a highlight of working with live musicians.”

Morwenna – “How were the pieces picked?”

Katia – “The title piece “Youm el Farrah was something that Aboudi had been working on for a long time. He said he was waiting for some one who believed in it. “Bint el Hijaz was a collaboration between Aboudi and Moustapha. The other pieces were written for me. Katia fi Saiid was my idea and I had the most input on this piece. It was a process in which I learned a lot about music. Aboudi is very patient to work with. N - Aboudi chose them for me and I believed in him. He wrote all the music for me and it was me at the time. We helped each other create and this is now part of our history as artists.”

Morwenna -“How was it different with Aboudi as a creator in a studio over working with him as a musician on stage?”

Katia – “For us it was similar because we value each other’s opinion and want to come out with a good product. I was amazed at his technical knowledge of sound reproduction. Of course, he does have an engineering degree. On my part, I was very careful to listen to what he had created and to keep an open mind as the music was from his creative genius. He also valued my opinion. I wanted music that Aboudi, who knew me as a dancer, would write to reflect my style and taste in music. He gave me that from the beginning. Our mutual respect continues to grow. 

Nourhan – “I got to know him better and realized he may be quiet but he has a great inner strength. I admire him a great deal.”

Morwenna – “Would you do this again?”

Katia – “I would definitely do it again. I learned a lot about not only the music process but the graphics, packaging and completion of the project. I feel it opened up a whole new field of interest related to the dance world.”

Nourhan – “Yes!”

Morwenna – “Do you have plans to do another CD?”

Katia – “Yes, He has some CD’s he is completing now and has asked me to listen to them. After they are finished we would like to do another. I already have ideas for music and packaging.

Nourhan – “Yes, we have just completed my Arabic Rhythms Volume 2CD for training dancers. We will also continue to work together as we both have tons of ideas.”

Morwenna - Katia, how did this experience compare to making your videos?”

Katia – “The video “Stars of the East was a joint project.  I was the dance director. In the CD project it was Aboudi’s vision and he directed it as musical director. Both were joint projects with creative input from all.  I realize that in all projects you can have artistic vision but it cannot be fulfilled without the help of good technical people. Without technical expertise the end result would be very disappointing.  I also found attention to detail is imperative on all accounts.” |

Morwenna – “Nourhan, how did this compare to the recordings that you did in Cairo ?”

Nourhan – “Completely different, One is Lebanese the other Egyptian. The music is tremendously different. Making a CD in Cairo is not easy and if my husband was not an Egyptian who understands the music. I could not have done it. It was difficult. But I love it all.”

From Aboudi Badawi

Morwenna -  “Why the recording business?”

Aboudi – “Recording was something I have always wanted to do since 1973 when I purchased my first portable cassette recorder. I was fascinated by the fact that a simple push of the button can preserve sound for generations to come.”

Morwenna – “Why creating over other people’s music?”

Aboudi – “Creating music gives me a sense of fulfillment and allows me to relive the feelings that made me create it.”  

Morwenna – “Why you chose to work with those you have?”

Aboudi – “I enjoy working with people I know and have worked with for a long time. The musicians and producers were efficient and patient, Two elements that are a definite must in any studio or recording environment.”

Morwenna – “How did you pick the pieces for both artists? They are both so different!”

Walid – “Writing music is based on feelings that come from memories or situations. Some music can be written to fit a certain personality as well but personality is a hard thing to detect in the audio by the average listener. I think the emotions that create certain music can be interpreted as a close representation of the influences left on the writer by the subject.

Morwenna – “How was this different form live stage work?”

Aboudi – “Working with Katia and Nourhan in the studio is very different form the live stage where one can correct thing by a wink or an arm signal. In the studio you can spend hours and sometimes days working on a single or a few phrases. Any overlooked glitches will be imprinted in your audio for the whole world to hear over and over. Both ladies endured and smiled their way through the rough moments.”

Morwenna – “Would you do it again?”

Aboudi – “Yes, until last year I was working with primitive yet effective digital recorders, Now my studio is stocked with state of the art computers and 20 bit digital recorders.”

Morwenna – “Do you have future plans or recording?”

Aboudi – “Yes, I do. I just finished Lebanese Rhythms Vol. 2 for Nourhan. The next two CD’s are self produced: 1. Arabic Maqams, a teaching tool for Arabic scales and their affects on music and mood. 2. Harat Al Rawaq. On the Oriental fusion side, we have released two this past summer.”

Morwenna – “How do you decide whether to work with an individual or not?”

Aboudi – “I think I can work with anyone as long as the intent is to build on this great art and not to smear it.

To wind this up I decided to put my husband’s input as well as my own. Both of us worked with Aboudi for years in the Boston area.

Morwenna- “Walid tell me a little about Aboudi and how it was to work with him and how you feel about his success as a composer.”

Walid- “To work with him was always a pleasure. We worked together for years. He is a marvelous person. So honest! He has worked very hard and deserves all the success and support in the world. A true artist. His work is really good.”

My final word is that Aboudi was always fun to work with. He was always willing to learn the music we dancers wanted. But he was always dabbling in his own thing. He is a sweetheart and one of the most talented composers there is. I am very proud to know him and tell you about this artist. These recordings are good for both students, teachers and the professional. Good luck Aboudi and CONGRATULATIONS!”

For more information on these recordings you may either contact me through ADAcomplex@danceranddrummer.com or from the producers themselves. They are both linked to this site.

Enjoy the music,
Morwenna Assaf

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