Before gaining his cult star status in the West, Omar Souleyman—whose high-speed Arabic dance music is transforming the world music terrain—was a sought-out wedding singer with over 500 live albums to his name. After civil war broke out in his native Syria in 2011, Souleyman fled to Turkey where he wrote songs of love, peace and heartache in light of his homeland’s troubled state. His newest album—To Syria, With Love—transcends language barriers and geographic bounds with a message of romance and yearning, encased in dizzying keyboards, pounding beats and traditional Middle Eastern dabke sounds.
Omar Souleyman
Tue, 7pm, $18.50+
The Ritz, San Jose
Omar Souleyman At The Ritz
