Souhail Kaspar, Sting's master Arabic percussionist performs at Swallow Hill

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Contact: RJ Betancourt
rudy@swallowhillmusic.org
303.765.2488

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Denver, 05/25/06 — Virtuoso world music percussionist and acclaimed teacher and recording artist, Souhail Kaspar, brings enticing Arabic rhythms to the Swallow Hill stage. Praised for his playing style that has been called “brilliant” and known the world over as a master percussionist specializing in Arabic music, Souhail's career has spanned over 34 years. Hailed as a “drummer to the stars,” Souhail has performed with such well-known musicians as Sting, Kenny Burrell and famed Arabian musicians: Sabah, Reiruz, Cheb Mami, George Wassouf, Saher and Faiza Ahmed to name a few. Souhail has played for dignitaries and celebrities including performances for Pope John Paul II and Ronald Reagan. He has performed on nine albums and three soundtracks for movies such as The Prince of Egypt, Sinbad, and The Siege, as well as instructional CDs and videos. His most recent solo CD, Khaliji, features a collection of songs of the Saudi Arabian peninsula.

Born in Lebanon, Souhail earned a degree in Classical Arabic performance at the Nadi al-Fonun al-Arabia conservatory in Syria. A master tablah or dumbek (Egyptian drum) player, he plays the tar (frame drum), the masher and the rigg (large and small tambourines) with excellent rhythmic interpretation. He has also performed on the video "The World Festival Sacred Music: The Americas" and its companion soundtrack. Souhail has also been featured as a guest percussionist on the Kronos Quartet’s CD Caravan. A recipient of the prestigious Durfee fellowship in Los Angeles -given to master musicians- for his performance skill and teaching ability with a rare genre of music, Souhail continues to perform and teach both classical and ethnic Arabic rhythms throughout the U.S. and the world.

For tickets visit www.swallowhillmusic.org or call (303) 777-1003. Discounts are available for Swallow Hill members.

About Swallow Hill Music Association:
Helping people make music since 1979, Swallow Hill Music Association is one of the largest institutions of its kind in the United States as a source for folk, roots and acoustic music. With more than 2,100 members—some of whom are also volunteers—, Swallow Hill provides a place to celebrate music that is rarely heard elsewhere in the Rocky Mountain Region. Three concert venues house more than 150 performances a year, featuring some of the world's great artists as well as up-and-coming new talent. The Julie Davis Music School at Swallow Hill provides a valuable and affordable extra-curricular educational resource to the community with more than 50 music instructors involved in more than 240 adult classes and 70 children's classes annually.