...Holy Sounds Grants

Embraced in the synagogues as an accompaniment to prayers and liturgical poems, the Andalusian Hebrew tradition still exists in Israel, Morocco and France, yet the distinct regional songs kept alive by these two men are fast disappearing. This grant from the Holy Sounds Foundation will allow this historically significant tradition to be recorded and passed on to new audiences through the Jewish Music Center of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, headed by Professor Edwin Seroussi.

The second grant went to four young people from Capetown, South Africa, who performs together under the name Unique Attraction. The vibrancy of their music is enhanced by the blending of Christian themes with tribal rhythms, resulting in a highly polished form of traditional African gospel. They have been together for eleven years since early childhood, first singing in church and then in this quartet, which has performed at numerous local gospel festivals. Until now they have been unable to record and share their music with the world, but that will change with the presentation of our second grant.

Unique Attraction members include Simpiwe Gcanga, Mlindeli Khembele, Tembinkosi Matiwane and Seun Mbeka, and their manager and songwriter, Zuko Vanyaza.

The third grant was given for the preservation of music in a country where, for nearly a decade, traditional music was not allowed in public. During the reign of the Taliban, 25 million Afghans could not listen to folk and popular music - much of which is based on Muslim devotional and sacred poetry - and many of the country's most gifted talents were forced to flee to neighboring Pakistan. Now that the veil of oppression has been lifted, ten Afghan singers and their ensembles will be recorded in two languages, Dari and Pashto, with the goal of replenishing the airwaves of Radio Afghanistan.

The Foundation was proud to bestow this final award to those organizing this effort: Professor Hiromi Lorraine Sakata, an ethnomusicologist at the University of California Los Angeles; Alam Payind, director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Ohio State University; and Adam Nayyar, research director of the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Culture in Islamabad, Pakistan."

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