In tune with desert folk

British instrumentalist and film-maker Jason Carter is set to serenade the kingdom’s music lovers at St Christopher’s Cathedral tomorrow with a medley of melodic Arabic-themed compositions inspired by his travels around the world … in particular, Bahrain.

The 47-year-old harp guitarist, who now resides in Saar, first fell in love with the island in 1999 when he performed alongside a group of pearl-divers at the Bahrain Arts Centre. He then returned in 2005 to perform alongside oud player Saad Mahmoud and 11 years on, Jason is back to share his passion for Bahraini culture.

He said: “I will be performing a solo harp guitar concert at the Cathedral, mostly my own compositions, ranging from Arabic-inspired pieces to more reflective material. “I have traveled and performed in more than 100 countries and I absorb various influences from my travels.

The ‘Journey from East to West’ describes the influences of the pieces coupled with stories from my travels, stories from places such as North Korea and Afghanistan.  “I love the Bahraini audience because Bahrainis generally love music and they have a rich musical tradition and heritage.

I would love to encourage Bahrainis to attend this concert. “This performance will be my first official concert in Bahrain since 2005 and I would like to re-introduce myself to the community here.” Jason first started playing the guitar when he was nine and in 2008 he switched over to the harp-guitar because of its extra bass strings, huge sound and deeper tones.

His musical skills, which he developed in diverse locations such as Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, North Korea, Pakistan and the Gulf States, have garnered him a reputation for being an ‘ambassador for peace and intercultural dialogue’.

He also received honours and awards as well as support from UNESCO, The United Nations and the British Government for using his musicianship to bridge cultural gaps. For example, Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, the British ambassador in Afghanistan, said that Jason helped build ‘extraordinary bridges’ between cultures through music and that the embassy team was ‘proud’ to have him amongst them.

Aside from creating stirring music and collaborating with musicians and orchestras such as the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, the Novosibirsk Orchestra, the Nanjing Chinese Orchestra and New Irish Orchestra, Jason has put his sultry sounds in documentary form too.

His autobiographical audiobook Making In-Roads, which is available for download from his site www.jasoncarter. net, featured stories from his worldwide concerts and travels. He is also working on a multi-media documentary about the music and culture of the pearl divers of the United Arab Emirates and will start filming with Bahraini divers in January.

The Bahrain documentary entitled Grain of Sand will be ready for release in the spring of 2017. Jason said: “I first sat with pearl divers in a hut in Muharraq listening to their songs, chants and stories in 1999.

There is something extremely primitive and poignant about their music. “When I first arrived in the Arabian Gulf in 1993, not many people had heard of Dubai or Abu Dhabi, yet now, the cities of the Gulf are known for their towering buildings and 5-star-hotels.

“I decided to make the film only recently as I began to realise that most of the world knew nothing about this musical tradition so I wanted to start documenting it. The first round of exposure of the documentary will be at Film Festivals in the Middle East and then further afield, with a view to finding a home for the film with a major TV network.”

According to Jason, the musical film mirrors the dichotomy of cultural identity in the Gulf from a heritage rich in the art of survival to the dizzying heights of the 21st Century where nothing is impossible.

He said: “A pearl begins its life as a grain of sand, the very sand which has been used in every tower block and piece of glass in every building in the Gulf. Beneath the rapid growth of commercialism, lies a strong musical heritage, which is vocalised through the stories and music of the pearl divers, which we would like to repatriate and harmonise with contemporary culture.”

He added that each diver had his own song sang for him as he dived with each one lasting for as long as the diver could hold his breath. Divers did not carry watches and some of them could hold their breath for up to four minutes.

“If the diver had not surfaced by the time the song had finished, he would be rescued,” Jason explained. “The songs were linked closely with survival and every given moment in time. “The songs were often about preparing the boats, about leaving loved ones behind and the vulnerability of life at sea.

The juxtaposition of the music of the pearl divers in contrast with the development of the Gulf and its current day culture is a story that needs to be told. “I will be basically fitting in with their music, using the various spaces they provide in their music, to improvise and add something new and different.

“My St Christopher’s event will be a run-up to the concert with the pearl divers in 2017. This concert is not the same material as the concert with the pearl divers but it does give a hint of what is to come with my collaboration with them next year. 

“I am here because I love Bahraini culture and my project with the pearl divers is an expression of that.” For a taste of what’s to come, check out the concert at the cathedral at 6pm.

Adult tickets cost BD5. Accompanying children can attend for free. For advance booking, contact 17253866.