Mike's Oud Forums

American Jen sings and plays oud!

myeyes2020 - 10-8-2013 at 09:29 PM

http://www.chouf-chouf.com/actualites/jennifer-une-americaine-qui-c...

John Erlich - 10-9-2013 at 07:55 AM

Very nice performance! Jennifer has an accent which suggests that she is not a native English speaker...very interesting. I wonder if she's Israeli... :D

Christian1095 - 10-9-2013 at 08:33 AM

That was cool... gives us non-arabs hope... also, nice Sukar oud.

Jody Stecher - 10-9-2013 at 08:35 AM

There's a remarkable transformation in the room as the giggles of the audience change to gasps of astonishment. At first it seems they are expecting the equivalent of a talking dog or a small animal who has been trained to thump out some simple tune on the piano by walking on the correct keys. Then they recognize that she is a tuneful and emotive singer with a sensitive touch on the oud. I think the appreciation of the panel was genuine.

an English translation of the panelists' comments may be found here:
http://www.jtmagz.com/agt-2013-auditions-american-contestants-baed-...

From my non-Lebanese point of view the whole setup of the television show seemed as bizarre as the contestant must have seemed at first to the audience. "Arabs Got Talent" seemed at first as though it might be a parody or satire on American and European TV.

SamirCanada - 10-9-2013 at 09:36 AM

Jenny Grout is a member on Mikeouds you guys... I remember we all gave her pointers on her oud technique on her early youtube videos etc...
She was studying in Montreal for a bit too, maybe she is french.

I was so happy to see her on there, she really delivered a shinning performance. Too bad they limited her on time.

Jody, unfortunately this arabs got talent show is garbage, its not satire... just not good. Dont give it the credit it doesnt diserve. Other shows like superstar and arab idol are slightly better, especially with regards to music. Also I noticed so many of the contestants on there are the ones who can afford to travel to lebanon and basically there are almost no actual arabs on arabs got talent. I guess that is the joke... :)

Also, that whole panel is joke what do they know really about music... Najwa maybe... maybe...

Doc139 - 10-10-2013 at 07:09 AM

Great performance, Jennifer, congratulations! And incredible courageous, indeed! I hope we will hear more from you.
Alexander

John Erlich - 10-10-2013 at 09:06 AM

I have it on good authority that Jenni is Canadian, not American. Presumably she's from Quebec, which would explain the French accent. Sorry for the error, I just assumed that on a big TV show like this, they would get her nationality right! And here I was, my heart beating uncontrollably, imagining a gorgeous, talented and unbelievably gutsy young Moroccan-Jewish-Israeli woman carrying out the musical equivilent of a "black ops commando raid"...LMFAO!

franck leriche - 10-10-2013 at 10:42 AM

Thank you for sharing, she's amazing:applause:

Jody Stecher - 10-10-2013 at 11:03 AM

Can there be two north american Jenni Grouts who each play oud and sing in Arabic? One blond and from Montreal, and one dark haired and from Boston?

http://www.artunion.com/umda/infoMembre_Biographie.php?langue=fr&am...

To complimacate the issue one of Jennis seems to go by the name of Shahinaz which means there are also two singing Shahinazes, one of whom looks like the dark haired twin of the blond haired TV contestant, with the same voice, and ... I think.... the same oud.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyVye8vXbw0

Doc139 - 10-10-2013 at 11:33 AM

Dear Jody,
... not complicated at all - ask your hairdresser: he or she will explain it to you ... :))
Alexander

Jody Stecher - 10-10-2013 at 11:48 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Doc139  
Dear Jody,
... not complicated at all - ask your hairdresser: he or she will explain it to you ... :))
Alexander


I see. Pour a little dye on Montreal and it becomes Boston, Fascinating! I will ask my mechanic to explain the double Shahinaz.

reminore - 10-10-2013 at 05:12 PM

miyye fil miyye jiddan!!!

Jono Oud N.Z - 10-16-2013 at 12:32 AM

Beautiful:applause:!

John Erlich - 10-16-2013 at 08:41 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Jody Stecher  
Quote: Originally posted by Doc139  
Dear Jody,
... not complicated at all - ask your hairdresser: he or she will explain it to you ... :))
Alexander


I see. Pour a little dye on Montreal and it becomes Boston, Fascinating! I will ask my mechanic to explain the double Shahinaz.

The more interesting questions are:

1) How you change a Boston accent to a Quebecois one?
1b) Can my hair stylist help with that? (She is Moroccan, after all!)
2) Does anyone know how to say "scrod" in Quebecois French?
3) What do you do when you've from Quebec and you have a doppelgänger in Boston, and your doppelgänger eats scrod?
4) Is a Double Shahinaz some kind of fancy Persian mixed alcoholic or coffee drink?

Jody Stecher - 10-16-2013 at 10:26 AM

Quote: Originally posted by John Erlich  
Quote: Originally posted by Jody Stecher  
Quote: Originally posted by Doc139  
Dear Jody,
... not complicated at all - ask your hairdresser: he or she will explain it to you ... :))
Alexander


I see. Pour a little dye on Montreal and it becomes Boston, Fascinating! I will ask my mechanic to explain the double Shahinaz.

The more interesting questions are:

1) How you change a Boston accent to a Quebecois one?

By living in France for a while

1b) Can my hair stylist help with that? (She is Moroccan, after all!)

Since my hair "style" resembles that of the late and great Wadi El Safih, I have little experience with hair stylists, having no hair to style. But I think perhaps yours can help. Perhaps she will suggest that you listen to Moroccan Roll Music (any old way you choose it)


2) Does anyone know how to say "scrod" in Quebecois French?

C'est tout les mêmes. Scrod est scrod en Quebecois.

3) What do you do when you've from Quebec and you have a doppelgänger in Boston, and your doppelgänger eats scrod?

You contemplate the qanun, whose bridges lie atop fish skin.

4) Is a Double Shahinaz some kind of fancy Persian mixed alcoholic or coffee drink?

If it isn't, it should be.

SamirCanada - 10-16-2013 at 11:27 AM

This thread is funny, I wonder if Jenni knows about it and when she finds it she ows us some clarifications :P

As far as I know there is no direct translation for scrod since its an english acronym to begin with, also morue (cod) is endagered and not fished anymore.
Ps: I am a Quebecker :)

John Erlich - 10-21-2013 at 08:14 AM

Ahalan, Ya Samir,

I've also heard about "scrod" being an acronym (e.g, "special catch of the day"), but, apparently, no one is really 100% sure of the etymology: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrod I hope researching etymologies and finding dead ends can help religious practicioners, especially us Abrahamic monotheists, to be more humble about the often-presumed Absolute Truth of our Scriptures, which are much, much older than most of the words and expressions linguists are trying to explain.

BTW: My hair "do" also more and more closely resembles that of the late, great Wadih El-Safy. North African people are relatively rare in the San Francisco Bay Area, and because I love Moroccan food, my hair stylist is a major source of Moroccan cooking advice. We do have to kind of shout to be heard over the sound of the electric clippers.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, the biggest M.E./N.A communities are Iranians (esp. San Jose), Yemenis (mostly in Oakland), and (Christian) Palestinians (concentrated around San Mateo). We seem to have a smattering of just about every other M.E./N.A. ethnicity, especially in "Silicon Valley," which couldn't function without engineers from all over the world.

What are the main M.E./N.A. communities and resources in Quebec?

All the best,
John

SamirCanada - 10-21-2013 at 08:28 AM

Concentrated in montreal by far the biggest comunity is of the Lebanese people, there is also a considerable north african comunity due to french being a common language for them (algerian, moroccan and tunisian). All kinds of other middle easterners (palestinians and others) but those arent the main ones.
Also, Ottawa has a very large lebanese comunity and has the most shawarma shops per capita in north america. Its a very common fast food here.

Ps: you should see a barber, stylists are for the ladies :P (just kidding)

John Erlich - 10-22-2013 at 09:44 AM

I go to Supercuts, which is a chain of cheap hair cut shops and, market-wise, something in between a barber and a stylist. There best hair cutter ever was an Afghan woman. My wife, who is definately a lady, sometimes shears me when she has time. Far better, though, to have your hair cut by a Berber barber, no? During my 1998 Middle East trip, I badly needed a hair cut, and had to decide who would give the best value: a Turkish barber in Istanbul, an Israeli barber in Tel Aviv, or a Palestinian barber in Jerusalem. I decided that the Turks are the most stylish of the three, and got my hair cut in Istanbul.

bulerias1981 - 10-23-2013 at 07:04 AM

I met her once at the Arabic music retreat in 2011, shes from Maine, USA. As for her accent, she said uses a bit of a French accent with her English to help Arabs in Morocco to understand her. Shes a gifted trained opera singer. I've played that Sukkar oud and it has a really good sound. A bit boomy, no projection, but good for her purpose as she accompanies herself whilst singing.

myeyes2020 - 11-10-2013 at 05:56 PM

Here is her latest performance. In her own words, she confirms that she is American. buleriias is correct. She deliberately changes her accent so that she can be understood. The American accent is not easily understood by Arabs who don't speak American.

http://www.mbc.net/ar/programs/arabs-got-talent-s3/videos/semi-fina...

Amos - 11-10-2013 at 06:32 PM

As much as the Middle Eastern music community here in Maine would love to claim Jenni as one of our own, she is actually from Massachusetts...but the Arabic Music Retreat community here in Maine wish her the best of luck!

jenni - 11-11-2013 at 07:17 AM

Hmmm, very interesting theories everyone! I am Bostonian, born and raised, up until the age of 18 when I moved to Montreal to study music at McGill University. About half way through my studies I started learning Arabic music. When I finished my studies at McGill, I went on vacation to Morocco, tried living in France for a while, and then just ended up back in Morocco where I currently reside. Shahinaz is a name some Moroccan lady kept calling me for no apparent reason one day, and I really liked the name, so I kept it and that's what my friends here in Morocco now know me as.

I'm one of those people that picks up accents easily... I have a really good ear, sometimes too good. And in my experience it is much easier to communicate with Arabs if you speak with their accent. It's just something subconscious I've done since childhood... even growing up I had one "cool" accent with my friends and one proper one for my parents and teachers.

And as for the hair, well yes I agree with DOC139...ask your hairdresser ;)

cjmichael - 11-12-2013 at 06:05 AM

:applause:

John Erlich - 11-12-2013 at 01:11 PM

Quote: Originally posted by jenni  

I'm one of those people that picks up accents easily... I have a really good ear, sometimes too good. ;)


Uh, oh! I hope I don't react to some high-exposure, high-stress gig someday by getting on the mic and unconsciously busting out with a fake South Asian accent, like Hank Azaria's "Apu" on the Simpsons! :)

Doc139 - 12-8-2013 at 12:34 PM

Incredible, I just read in the news (here in Switzerland) that Jennifer Grout from Boston was under the last three of the final round of "Arabs Got Talent", probably last night! Congratulation, Jenny!:applause:

juju - 3-29-2016 at 12:13 AM

Great performance, thanks for sharing.

Anyone has the socre of that tune (Baeed Anak) ?
I make a quick search on "ahyasalam" but I didn't find it.

Best.

John Erlich - 4-7-2016 at 06:42 PM

Quote: Originally posted by juju  
Great performance, thanks for sharing.

Anyone has the socre of that tune (Baeed Anak) ?
I make a quick search on "ahyasalam" but I didn't find it.

Best.


Video link & score here, if that's what you seek: http://arabicmusicsheets.blogspot.com/2012/11/baed-annak-song-sheet...

juju - 4-12-2016 at 05:54 AM

thanks John !

John Erlich - 4-14-2016 at 09:17 PM

I found it on Ah Ya Salam - http://www.ahyasalam.com/play_song.php?songmd=d089136989fdfaf56983b...

Adel Samuel's scores are very readable.

I would love to meet this man, who is so generously creating and sharing Arabic music scores.

Peace out,
"Udi" John

juju - 4-15-2016 at 02:22 AM

Unfortunately, we have difficulties to consult ahyasalam in France ... Google considers this site as dangerous (!) ...
Do you think it's possible to share the .pdf ?
Thanks a lot !
Best.

John Erlich - 4-15-2016 at 09:12 AM

Quote: Originally posted by juju  
Unfortunately, we have difficulties to consult ahyasalam in France ... Google considers this site as dangerous (!) ...
Do you think it's possible to share the .pdf ?
Thanks a lot !
Best.

Same problem in the USA. It took me a while to figure out how to get around the security.

PDF attached

juju - 4-15-2016 at 01:47 PM

Many thanks John !!!