The story of the Joubran Trio's creation can be traced back some ten years.
Samir Joubran, the eldest, started his solo career with his first two albums, Taqaseem (1996) and Sou'fahm (2001).
For his third album, Tamaas, Samir invited his younger brother Wissam Joubran to join him on his musical adventure. Randana, which came out in 2005, is the trio's very first album.
Adnan Joubran, the youngest, had joined in with his older brothers to form the first and only oud trio known of to this date. With their skillful, heart-wrenching improvisations that tell of Palestine, the trio brings to bear harmony and sweetness, depth and joy. On the stage, as their eyes meet, their instruments join together to express that which the spoken word cannot.
The trio's repertory, made up of original creations and magnificent improvisations, takes root in their knowledge of the imposing culture of traditional maqâms and their subtle interpretations. The group was the big revelation at Langon's Atypical Nights (Nuits Atypiques) festival, nomitated for the 2004 Django dOr awards, selected at the Womex 2004 and the Strictly Mundial 2005, the trio has been living a musical adventure that is taking it all over the world: the trio played before thousands at the Festival of Nyon, was welcomed at Carnegie Hall in February 2006, and played at the Jerusalem festival in 2007.
Samir:
Samir was born in Nazareth, in 1973, in the Galilee. At five, his father introduces him to the oud. The encounter between boy and instrument is more like the passionate encounter of two lovers. At nine, Samir enters the Nazareth Institute of Music. In 1995 he graduates from the highly prestigious Muhammad Abdul Wahhab Conservatory of Cairo. His musical talents are recognized in the musical workshops and seminars he attends in various Arabic and European countries, leading him to teach the oud in a large number of schools and institutes.
The Joubran family adventure begins with Samir, an innovative soloist. Their first album, Taqaseem, comes out in 1996, followed by Sou'fahm in 2001. His first album under the Daqui label (the label of the Atypical Nights in Langon), Tamaas, appears in 2002. His run of performances in European and Middle Eastern venues begins. At the time, Samir is the only Palestinian performing outside the borders of his country. He is also the first musician to be awarded, in 2003-2004, a two-year scholarship to Italy through the Writer's Asylum Program which is organized by the International Parliament of Writers.
His musical virtuosity receives universal acclaim, and he is quickly invited to play with numerous other artists, in particular with great poets of the likes of Mahmoud Darwish. Music allies itself with the spoken word to bring to life poetry where melancholy and passion are inextricably mixed.
Samir Joubran's musical talent is acknowledged by the movie world when he composes the original sound track for Rashir Masharawi's Ticket to Jerusalem. He is then contacted by director François Dupeyron. Three tracks from the album Tamaas are included in the sound track of Inguélézi. Three titles from Randana are used in Parvez Sharmas' documentary A Jihad for Love (2012).
After Randana, the first album to bring together all three Joubran brothers, their new opus, Majâz, came out fall of 2012. With Palesine beating in his heart, driven by his desire to give voice to his oud, Samir Joubran will travel the world with his brothers.
"We have two battles to fight. The first is for our career, and the other is for peace in Palestine, and the end of the occupation."
Wissam:
Wissam was born in 1983, in Nazareth, in the Galilee. His father signs him up for violin lessons at the Nazareth conservatory. He becomes attracted to the oud after watching and listening to his brother Samir play it. He establishes an intimate connection with the oud, with its wholesome curves, its round belly. Seeing how he merges with the instrument, Hatem, his father, hand crafts and gives him a small oud for his ninth birthday.
Wissam starts out by performing local concerts in Palestine. He then turns toward the theater, where he plays the role of a singing oud player in a piece about the life of Moudaffar El Nawab. When he is twelve, he seizes the opportunity to take his dreams and talent all the way to Paris' Arab World Institute, where he shares the stage with his brother Samir.
In 2002, again at his brother's side, Wissam performs musical interludes at readings of Mahmoud Darwish' poetry. Then, with the album Tamaas, Wissam's international career takes off. He decides to bring is musical culture and experience fully to bear in his relationship with the oud; thus, in 2005, he is the first Arab to graduate from the prestigious Antonio Stradivari Conservatory, in Cremona. Wissam, like his father before him, continues in the line of his ancestors and becomes a master luthier. He builds the Joubran Trio's three ouds with his own hands, tailoring each one so that, when they are played, oud and player are one.
Master luthier, oud player, and firm believer in the symbiosis of traditional Arabic music and the modernity of the oud, Wissam Joubran is carrying his family legacy steadfastly into the future.
Adnan:
Adnan was born in the Galilee, in Nazareth, in 1985. The life story of the youngest of the brothers is unique. Since childhood, he had wanted to become a percussionist. Yet, he would soon hearken to the oud's call. His desire to play it becomes stronger at the age of fifteen. For two years, alone and with the help of his older brothers, Adnan learns to play this instrument. Immediately upon coming home from school, he would pick up Wissam's oud and, playing Samir's melodies, send his fingers flying along the trail left by his brother. Hatem, their father, encourages him to take part in oud playing contests, and he is one of the five winners of a contest held in Palestine. The first audience Adnan would play to are his father's clients.
Returning from a tour, Samir brings up the possibility of forming a trio. This possibility becomes the object of Adnan's striving, and during the next year he would work with passion and discipline. It is thus that, in Paris' Luxembourg garden in August 2004, the Joubran Trio would come to life.
Alongside his brother Samir, Adnan provides musical accompaniment for the Fattoumi-Lamoureux dance company. In addition to his career within the Trio, Adnan will also perform for Parisian audiences a piece that combines music and the circus called EKO DU OUD (the oud's echo).
L'art d'aimer
Le Trio Joubran Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
أنتظرها
على بركة الماء حول المساء وزَهْر الكُولُونيا
أنتظرها
بصبر الحصان المُعَدّ لمُنْحَدرات الجبالِ
أنتظرها
بذَوْقِ الأمير الرفيع البديع
أنتظرها
أنتظرها
بنار البَخُور النسائيِّ ملءَ المكانِ
أنتظرها
ولا تتعجَّلْ، فإن أقبلَتْ بعد موعدها
فانتظرها
وإن أقبلتْ قبل وعدها
فانتظرها
ولا تُجْفِل الطيرَ فوق جدائلها
وإنتظرها
لتجلس مرتاحةً كالحديقة في أَوْج زِينَتِها
وانتظرها،
لكي تتنفَّسَ هذا الهواء الغريبَ على قلبها
وانتظرها،
لترفع عن ساقها ثَوْبَها غيمةً غيمةً
وانتظرها،
وقدَّمْ لها الماءَ قبل النبيذِ ولا تتطلَّع إلى تَوْأَمَيْ حَجَلٍ نائمين على صدرها
وانتظرها،
ومُسَّ على مَهَل يَدَها عندما تَضَعُ الكأسَ فوق الرخامِ
كأنَّكَ تحملُ عنها الندى
وانتظرها،
تحدَّثْ إليها كما يتحدَّثُ نايٌ إلى وَتَرٍ خائفٍ في الكمانِ
كأنكما شاهدانِ على ما يُعِدُّ غَدٌ لكما
وانتظرها،
ولَمِّع لها لَيْلَها خاتماً خاتماً
وانتظرها
إلى أَن يقولَ لَكَ الليلُ:
لم يَبْقَ غيركُما في الوجودِ
فخُذْها، بِرِفْقٍ، إلى موتكَ المُشْتَهى
وانتظرها!
The lyrics of Le Trio Joubran's song L'art d'aimer are a beautiful expression of patience, elegance, and romance. The song begins with the poet waiting for his beloved with a cup of wine adorned with lapis lazuli, surrounded by water and the scent of colonies. He waits with the patience of a horse trained for mountain slopes, and the refined taste of a prince. He has prepared seven pillows filled with light clouds, and the fragrance of women's incense fills the air.
He advises to not rush her, but to wait for her, even if she comes after her promised time. And if she comes before her promised time, he still advises waiting for her. He urges the birds not to disturb her as she rests, and for her to sit comfortably like a lovely garden in full bloom. He also wants her to breathe in the strange air around her, and to lift her dress like a cloud.
He wants to offer her water before wine, and to touch her hand gently as she places her cup on the marble, as if he is carrying dew away from her. He speaks to her like a reed flute to a trembling string on a violin as if they are both witnessing what the future will bring for them. He wants to polish her rings until they shine in the light of night, and wait for her until the night whispers to him that they are the only ones left in existence.
Overall, the song expresses an attitude of patience, respect, and love towards one's beloved. It is a call for waiting patiently for one's beloved, cherishing every moment spent together with them, and appreciating the simple yet beautiful things in life.
Line by Line Meaning
بكأس الشراب المرصَّع باللازوردِ
With a cup of blue-studded drink
أنتظرها
I wait for her
على بركة الماء حول المساء وزَهْر الكُولُونيا
By the pool of water around evening and the flowers of cologne
بصبر الحصان المُعَدّ لمُنْحَدرات الجبالِ
With the patience of a horse prepared for mountain slopes
بذَوْقِ الأمير الرفيع البديع
With the refined and exquisite taste of a prince
بسبعِ وسائدَ مَحْشُوَّةٍ بالسحابِ الخفيفِ
With seven pillows stuffed with light clouds
بنار البَخُور النسائيِّ ملءَ المكانِ
With the smoke of feminine incense filling the place
ولا تتعجَّلْ، فإن أقبلَتْ بعد موعدها
Do not rush, if she comes after her appointed time
فانتظرها
Then wait for her
وإن أقبلتْ قبل وعدها
And if she arrives before her appointed time
فانتظرها
Then wait for her
ولا تُجْفِل الطيرَ فوق جدائلها
Do not scare the birds away from her braids
وإنتظرها
And wait for her
لتجلس مرتاحةً كالحديقة في أَوْج زِينَتِها
So she can sit comfortably like a garden in the height of its beauty
وانتظرها،
And wait for her,
لكي تتنفَّسَ هذا الهواء الغريبَ على قلبها
So that she can breathe in this strange air that touches her heart
وانتظرها،
And wait for her,
لترفع عن ساقها ثَوْبَها غيمةً غيمةً
So she can lift her dress like a cloud after cloud
وانتظرها،
And wait for her,
وقدَّمْ لها الماءَ قبل النبيذِ ولا تتطلَّع إلى تَوْأَمَيْ حَجَلٍ نائمين على صدرها
And offer her water before wine, and do not look at the two sleeping pigeons on her chest
وانتظرها،
And wait for her,
ومُسَّ على مَهَل يَدَها عندما تَضَعُ الكأسَ فوق الرخامِ
And gently touch her hand when she places the glass on the marble
كأنَّكَ تحملُ عنها الندى
As if you are carrying the dew for her
وانتظرها،
And wait for her,
تحدَّثْ إليها كما يتحدَّثُ نايٌ إلى وَتَرٍ خائفٍ في الكمانِ
Talk to her like a flute talks to a scared string in a violin
كأنكما شاهدانِ على ما يُعِدُّ غَدٌ لكما
As if you both witnessed what tomorrow holds for you
وانتظرها،
And wait for her,
ولَمِّع لها لَيْلَها خاتماً خاتماً
And give her her shining rings of the night
وانتظرها
And wait for her
إلى أَن يقولَ لَكَ الليلُ:
Until the night tells you,
لم يَبْقَ غيركُما في الوجودِ
There is no one left in existence but you two
فخُذْها، بِرِفْقٍ، إلى موتكَ المُشْتَهى
So take her gently to your desired death
وانتظرها!
And wait for her!
Writer(s): Samir Joubran, Wissam Joubran, Adnan Joubran
Contributed by Leo R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.