Innova Recordings
Life As Is: The Blending of Ancient Souls from Syria & China
$16.99
Details
- Composer
- HONG RAFEA
- Artist
- Rafea, Hong
- Format
- CD
- Label
- Innova Recordings
- Released
- May 25, 2018
- Catalog #
- INN997
- UPC
- 726708699727
About
Although peaceful international dialogue may seem as elusive as ever, the shining exceptions are all the more heart-warming. Two Syrian and Chinese musicians met in Minnesota. The rest is history. Both artists came from lands going through political strife- Issam Rafea living through the recent war in Syria, and Gao Hong growing up during the Cultural Revolution. Now, they continue to pursue their musical visions in the United States. They both are performers and composers and love to improvise, just like they have had to navigate their lives to survive. They both use their hearts to play music, and both believe that music needs to come from their souls and deepest feelings. Life As Is is a reflection of both of their lives. It is their life stories, as reflected in the track titles. Both of them "Walking the Distance" to America to follow their dreams. They recorded the music on a rainy summer day, and even though they didn't talk about what "Summer Rain" should sound like, they shared the exact same feelings. Their lives have not always been easy, and that is expressed in "Undercurrent" and the uncertainty of their lives in "Up and Down." But even in their darkest hours, they still remained optimistic and hopeful, as if there were a "Hidden Dance" soon to appear. Sometimes, living so far away, they get "Homesick" and have a "Heavy Heart" as they miss their homelands and families, but they keep working hard and chasing their dreams as in "Chasing Butterflies."And they are thankful for the music they have made together in their "Chance Encounter." They share their happy "Childhood" stories in their music. So many wonderful stories, but they realize life is so short, just like a "Short Film." This is their life, these their tales- "Life As Is!"
Tracklist 12 tracks
-
1 Walking the Distance 04:11
- Track
- 1
- Title
- Walking the Distance
- Duration
- 04:11
- Composer
- Issam Rafea, Gao Hong
- Performer
- Issam Rafea, Gao Hong
-
2 Summer Rain 03:42
- Track
- 2
- Title
- Summer Rain
- Duration
- 03:42
- Composer
- Gao Hong, Issam Rafea
- Performer
- Issam Rafea, Gao Hong
-
3 Undercurrent 03:23
- Track
- 3
- Title
- Undercurrent
- Duration
- 03:23
- Composer
- Issam Rafea, Gao Hong
- Performer
- Issam Rafea, Gao Hong
-
4 Up and Down 03:55
- Track
- 4
- Title
- Up and Down
- Duration
- 03:55
- Composer
- Issam Rafea, Gao Hong
- Performer
- Issam Rafea, Gao Hong
-
5 Hidden Dance 06:42
- Track
- 5
- Title
- Hidden Dance
- Duration
- 06:42
- Composer
- Issam Rafea, Gao Hong
- Performer
- Issam Rafea, Gao Hong
-
6 Life As Is 05:50
- Track
- 6
- Title
- Life As Is
- Duration
- 05:50
- Composer
- Issam Rafea, Gao Hong
- Performer
- Issam Rafea, Gao Hong
-
7 Homesick 04:04
- Track
- 7
- Title
- Homesick
- Duration
- 04:04
- Composer
- Issam Rafea, Gao Hong
- Performer
- Issam Rafea, Gao Hong
-
8 Chasing Butterflies 04:26
- Track
- 8
- Title
- Chasing Butterflies
- Duration
- 04:26
- Composer
- Issam Rafea, Gao Hong
- Performer
- Issam Rafea, Gao Hong
-
9 Chance Encounter 06:04
- Track
- 9
- Title
- Chance Encounter
- Duration
- 06:04
- Composer
- Issam Rafea, Gao Hong
- Performer
- Issam Rafea, Gao Hong
-
10 Heavy Heart 04:38
- Track
- 10
- Title
- Heavy Heart
- Duration
- 04:38
- Composer
- Issam Rafea, Gao Hong
- Performer
- Issam Rafea, Gao Hong
-
11 Childhood 03:22
- Track
- 11
- Title
- Childhood
- Duration
- 03:22
- Composer
- Issam Rafea, Gao Hong
- Performer
- Issam Rafea, Gao Hong
-
12 Short Film 05:27
- Track
- 12
- Title
- Short Film
- Duration
- 05:27
- Composer
- Issam Rafea, Gao Hong
- Performer
- Issam Rafea, Gao Hong