NO blues

 NO blues is the crossroad where folk-blues and Arabic music meet. In 2004 Ad van Meurs (guitar/ lead vocals), Haytham Safia (U'd, Arabic lute/ lead vocals) and Anne-Maarten van Heuvelen (double bass/ lead vocals) got together tocombine American folk blues and traditional Arabic music. Both folk blues and the Arabic taqsim (the improvised interplay without a fixed rhythm) are exceptionally suited for storytelling; the former in a somewhat rawer way, the latter mostly lyrical and melodic. In the same way as Leadbelly and Woody Guthrie documented their era in the early 20th century, the instrumentalist is the torchbearer of a centuries-old tradition in the virtually unwritten Arabic music culture. Traditional Arabic music differs from other music cultures in the way in which the music scale is subdivided. Thus the music can adopt forms that are nearly impossible in the western octave system. The musicians soon succeeded in finding the crossroad where folk-blues and Arabic music meet. A fusion of Americana and Arabic music, which might best be portrayed as 'Arabicana'. Heartfelt music with songs about 'ordinary folks', love and grief, played and sung in a tradition that is characteristic to both folk blues and Arabic music. Completing the line-up on stage, NO Blues is joined by Ankie Keultjes (vocals) and Osama Maleegi (percussion). In only three days of playing together, the songs of the first CD 'Farewell Shalabiye' came into existence. The album was released by Rounder Records in 2005 and became an instant success. NO Blues was welcomed in the music scene with enthusiastic reviews on their debut and the successful tour that followed. The band concluded the year with a theatre tour accompanying modern dance company Galili Dance. After selling the success of Farewell Shalabiye, the second album called 'Ya Dunya' was released in February 2007. During the recording of this album, Tracy Bonham joined NO blues to record three songs. Tracy can be heard in a duet with Anne-Maarten van Heuvelen on the single 'Black Cadillac' and played violin on two other tracks on the album. Even before the release date the album was voted 'Album of the week' on national Dutch Radio 1. Within two months Ya Dunya sold 5.000 copies. The third NO blues album 'Lumen' is another step in raising Arabicana as a new genre of heartfelt music with an Arabic soul. It reflects a world with diminishing boundaries and is a new step in blending people and traditions without loosing it's integrity. With Lumen, NO blues offers a glimpse of hope in a hardened world. On this album guest musicians Raphaela Danksagmüller plays the Duduk and Sophie Cavez ads an Balkan flavour with the accordion. On the fourth album 'Hela Hela' Van Meurs, Safia and Van Heuvelen show that they are true masters of the new genre they created and they playfully ad an African flavour to the blend. The band takes the listener on a musical journey across several continents. On this album you can hear Palestinian guest musicians Morad Khoury on violin, and Shereene Danial as guest vocalist on the titletrack Hela Hela which is based on a traditional Arabic work song and an American counterpart. This is the ultimate fusion work song and an appeal to the world for working together. In 2012 NO blues got together and recorded twelve new tracks for a documentary series about the Arabic revolution. The new songs were unexpectedly interesting enough to become the next NO blues album. These instrumental tracks will be released in 2013 on the fifth album, which will be called 'Kind of NO blues'.