Rim Banna (born December 8, 1966) is a Palestinian singer, composer and arranger, well-known for her modern interpretations of traditional folk songs. Banna was born in Nazareth, where she graduated from Nazareth Baptist School in 1984. She currently lives in Nazareth with her husband, the artist Leonid Alexeienko, and their three children.
Banna first achieved popularity among Palestinians in the Palestinian territory which was occupied in 1948 in the early 1990s, after recording a number of Palestinian children`s songs on the verge of being forgotten. Many such songs and rhymes sung by Palestinian families again today, are said to be thanks to Rim Banna`s work in preserving them via her recordings.
For Banna - whose music is composed and arranged collaboratively with her husband - music is an important tool for cultural self-assertion: "A part of our work consists of collecting traditional Palestinian texts without melodies. So that the texts do not get lost, we try to compose melodies for them that are modern, yet inspired by traditional Palestinian music."
As such, Banna does not merely mimic the traditional techniques for representation of the pieces she interprets. In her view, "Oriental singing techniques are mostly ornamental … But my voice is more two-dimensional, thicker. I try to write songs that fit my voice. I want to create something new in every respect. And that includes bringing people elsewhere closer to the music and soul of the Palestinians."
Banna`s popularity in Europe began after Norwegian singer Kari Bremnes, invited her to Oslo after meeting her during a visit to Nazareth. Banna accepted the invitation, and the two artists were subsequently enlisted with others by Norwegian music producer Erik Hillestad to record the 2003 CD Lullabies from the Axis of Evil.
Dubbed "a musical antiwar message to U.S. President Bush from female singers in Palestine, Iraq, Iran, and Norway,", the album brings these women together with others from North Korea, Syria, Cuba, and Afghanistan - to sing traditional lullabies from their lands in duet form with English-language performers whose translation allows the songs to reach a Western audience.
Banna`s latest album, The Mirrors of My Soul, is a stylistic departure from her previous body of work. Produced in cooperation with a European quintet, it features "Western pop stylings" fused with Middle Eastern modal and vocal structures, and Arabic lyrics. Though the style of this album differs from previous recordings, the subject matter has basically remained constant. The album includes "songs of despair and hope" about the lives of "a struggling people, and even a song about late president Arafat in a way that is both thoughtful and subtle".
(Source : http://www.xmp3a.com)
Cantante, musicista e attivista per la causa palestinese, Rim Banna è nata a Nazaret il 6 dicembre 1966. Dopo aver frequentato la Nazareth Baptist School, ha iniziato la carriera di cantautrice alla fine degli anni '80, registrando sia brani originali che reinterpretazioni di canzoni palestinesi, incidendo anche album per bambini.
In quanto attivista, molte delle sue canzoni fanno riferimento alla sofferenza causata al popolo palestinese dall'occupazione dei territori da parte di Israele. Le sue interpretazioni musicali in lingua araba sono spesso accompagnate da musica di carattere occidentale, relegando l'utilizzo di strumenti e tecniche tipicamente mediorientali solo ad alcuni brani.
La popolarità di Rim Banna in Europa arriva dopo la collaborazione all'album Lullabies from the Axis of Evil (traducibile con "Ninne nanne dall'Asse del Male"), prodotto nel 2003 dal musicista norvegese Erik Hillestad. Per il disco la cantante duetta con Kari Bremnes, partecipando anche ad uno show in Oslo. Avvalendosi della collaborazione di diverse cantanti provenienti dal cosiddetto "Asse del male" (Iraq, Iran, Corea del Nord, ecc), l'album in lingua inglese voleva essere un messaggio contro la guerra facilmente recepibile da un pubblico occidentale.
Successivamente Rim Banna pubblica The Mirrors of My Soul, un album dedicato a tutti i prigionieri politici detenuti nelle carceri israeliane. I brani eseguiti con la collaborazione di un quintetto norvegese hanno una connotazione musicale pop prettamente occidentale, anche se il messaggio di fondo relativo alla sofferenza dei palestinesi oppressi è rimasto del tutto invariato rispetto ai lavori precedenti della cantautrice.
(Source : Wikipedia)
Rim Banna ريم بنّا - The Dream الحلم
A1 El Helm الحلم
A3 El Moghany المغني
A4 Ya Sety يا ستي
A5 Ehky Lel Alam احكي للعالم
B1 Ya Talen يا طالعين
B2 Samt El Leil صمت الليل
B3 Dhat Youm ذات يوم
B4 Ya Leil Ma Atwalk يا ليل ما اطولك
B5 Last Part Of The Dream المقطع الاخير من الحلم
HERE
B2 Samt El Leil صمت الليل
B3 Dhat Youm ذات يوم
B4 Ya Leil Ma Atwalk يا ليل ما اطولك
B5 Last Part Of The Dream المقطع الاخير من الحلم
HERE
01 Beit-Allah
02 You Make Me Gloom
03 Fly and Slow Down, Goose
04 Our Beloved Ones
05 Rain
06 The Child Had Died
07 Kul Kbeibeh
08 Soft Rain in a Faraway Autumn
09 Hala Lala Layyah
10 Al-Quds Everlasting
11 A Part of "Rain" Song
HERE
Rim Banna ريم بنّا – The Mirrors Of My Soul مرايا الروح
1 - The Mirrors Of My Soul مرايا الروح
2 - The Carmel Of My Soul كرمل الروح
3 - Malek مالك
4 - Ya Jammal يا جمال
5 - Masha’al مشعل
6 - Sarah ساره
7 - The Moon Glowed لاح القمر
8 - The Top Of The Mountain راس الجبل
9 - Fares Odeh فارس عودة
10 - The Grandma With A Limp ستي العرجة
11 - The Voice, The Fragrance And The Figure الصوت والرائحة والشكل
Rim Banna and Henrik Koitz ريم بنّا و هنريك كويتس - This was not my story لم تكن تلك حكايتي
01 Wait for me إنتظريني
02 This was not my story لم تكن تلك حكايتي
03 When عندما
04 She هي
05 Fly love طير يا هوى
06 Hand mill طاحونة
07 Anat my mother عناة يا أمي
08 The wall الجدار
09 Defend the freedom دافع عن الحرية
1 - The Mirrors Of My Soul مرايا الروح
2 - The Carmel Of My Soul كرمل الروح
3 - Malek مالك
4 - Ya Jammal يا جمال
5 - Masha’al مشعل
6 - Sarah ساره
7 - The Moon Glowed لاح القمر
8 - The Top Of The Mountain راس الجبل
9 - Fares Odeh فارس عودة
10 - The Grandma With A Limp ستي العرجة
11 - The Voice, The Fragrance And The Figure الصوت والرائحة والشكل
01 Wait for me إنتظريني
02 This was not my story لم تكن تلك حكايتي
03 When عندما
04 She هي
05 Fly love طير يا هوى
06 Hand mill طاحونة
07 Anat my mother عناة يا أمي
08 The wall الجدار
09 Defend the freedom دافع عن الحرية
HERE
Rim Banna ريم بنّا – Seasons Of Violet مواسم البنفسج
1 - The Hymn Of The Sea ترتيلة البحر
2 - The Night Has Fallen Down أمسى المسا
3 - The Light Gown Of Soul غلالة الروح
4 - Seasons Of Violet مواسم البنفسج
5 - The First Rain المطر الأوّل
6 - Beit Allah بيت اللّه
7 - I’ll Come To You Daisy Like أجيئك أقحوان
8 - After You Left من بَعدكَ
9 - The Dream الحلم
10 - A Prayer صلاة
11 - The Weeping Of The Rose بكاء الوردة
1 - The Hymn Of The Sea ترتيلة البحر
2 - The Night Has Fallen Down أمسى المسا
3 - The Light Gown Of Soul غلالة الروح
4 - Seasons Of Violet مواسم البنفسج
5 - The First Rain المطر الأوّل
6 - Beit Allah بيت اللّه
7 - I’ll Come To You Daisy Like أجيئك أقحوان
8 - After You Left من بَعدكَ
9 - The Dream الحلم
10 - A Prayer صلاة
11 - The Weeping Of The Rose بكاء الوردة
Rim Banna ريم بنّا - April Blossoms نوّار نيسان
1 April blossoms
2 New moon
3 The sheperd
4 Silver fountain
5 The kitten didi
6 Sleep, Dolly, sleep
7 Raindrops on my window
8 Today is my birthday
9 The clock
10 In our orchard
12 Our donkey
13 When we become a little bigger
14 Kul kbeibeh
15 Mum, you are the dearest
16 Happy lesser bairam feast
17 Christmas feast
18 Baylassan
19 A sand house
20 Nura
2 New moon
3 The sheperd
4 Silver fountain
5 The kitten didi
6 Sleep, Dolly, sleep
7 Raindrops on my window
8 Today is my birthday
9 The clock
10 In our orchard
12 Our donkey
13 When we become a little bigger
14 Kul kbeibeh
15 Mum, you are the dearest
16 Happy lesser bairam feast
17 Christmas feast
18 Baylassan
19 A sand house
20 Nura
01.Lah El Qamar (The Moon Glowed)
02.The Carmel Of My Soul
03.The Hymn Of The Sea
04.The Grandma With A Limp
05.The Mirrors Of My Soul
06.Malek
07.The Light Gown Of Soul
08.Seasons Of Violet
09.Ya Jammal
10.Mashaal
11.Sarah
12.The Top Of The Mountain
13.Fares Odeh
14.The Night Has Fallen Down
15.The Voice, The Fagrance And The Figure
16.The Weeping Of The Rose
01The Absent One
02The Hymn Of The Rain
03 Supply Me With An Excess Of Love
04 The Trace Of The Butterfly
05 The Taste Of Love
06 Don't Increase His Agony
07 Stranger In The Gulf
08 Astonished By You And Me
09 Two Kinds Of Love
10 My Heart Tells Me
11 The Free Man