Before the outbreak of the civil war, Syria was one of the guiding countries of Arab music. The country's music schools trained musicians who, after the outbreak of war, fled and ended up all over the world. Africa Express, the foundation of Damon Albarn, did everything in its power to find these musicians again and bring them together. This resulted in The Orchestra Of Syrian Musicians. Under the
… direction of Albarn, the orchestra worked towards a series of concerts (including in the Amsterdam Carré) where the Syrians were assisted by , , and of course self. Both pop and Arabic classics were selected for the repertoire. The result is a much needed initiative, an ode to the talent and ingenuity of refugees, but above all a beautiful album where artists from East and West meet each other lovingly. (PdK)more
