Biography

An absolutely legendary album from Lebanon by Issam Hajali’s group Ferkat Al Ard , “Oghneya”, stands out as one of the great musical gems of the Arab world. A groundbreaking release from 1978 that represents the meeting point of Arab, jazz, folk and Brazilian styles with the immeasurable talent of Ziad Rahbani, son of Fairouz, who did the albums arrangements. Filled with a variety of sounds and genres, from Baroque Pop to Psych-Folk to flashes of Bossa Nova, Tropicalia and MPB, “Oghneya” is like if Arthur Verocai took a trip to Beirut in the 70’s to record an album.