LeeVaris - 5-23-2004 at 08:21 PM
Here's a link to new pictures from a Kan Zaman rehearsal:
http://www.varis.com/KanZaman2/
I put a link to Afif's Taksim from this evening rehearsal on the first page – and I'll give it to you here:
http://www.varis.com/KanZaman2/AfifTaksim.aif
I recorded this on my iPod with a voice memo mic so the sound quality isn't as great as the playing. I hope you enjoy it anyway. 
TruePharaoh21 - 5-23-2004 at 09:54 PM
Hey Lee. Great pics, man. Afif's taqsim was awesome that night. He's awesome every time, but we rarely have anyone recording. You never fail
to impress, man. By the way, I downloaded the file for the sound, but it seems to not load on my computer. I'm not sure if others will have the
same problem...
TP21
P.S. I love picture number 24... what a great looking oudist! 
If I'm not
mistaken, it's the first picture taken of me playing the newer oud. I'm very thankful.
Sound
spyrosc - 5-23-2004 at 10:39 PM
I can't get the sound file to play either. It seems like it downloads OK, about 2-3 MB but no sound.
Any ideas ?
Spyros C.
samzayed - 5-23-2004 at 11:08 PM
I can hear the sound, but I am playing it through I-Tunes
Thanks Lee. This recording sounds like its from the 20's or 30's. I am not complaining, most of my music sounds like this!
david - 5-23-2004 at 11:12 PM
Cool pics Lee. Do you or Tp have any info on the guy in pic #42s oud. That
thing is amazing.
TruePharaoh21 - 5-23-2004 at 11:17 PM
Hey David,
That's Ghassan Bashir, the professional oudist. He was a fantastic guest that night. If I'm not mistaken, he's on the video clips page
of Mike's site as well as under the Oudism page. I forget who he said made his oud. Perhaps Lee or Mike know.
TP21
david - 5-24-2004 at 09:59 AM
I didn't realize that was him.
Sound File
LeeVaris - 5-24-2004 at 09:59 AM
Sorry about the sound file... its probably a PC vs Mac thing. I had to jump through quite a few hoops just to get the sound off the iPod into some
other format – Apple doesn't like to make that easy; they want you to use iTunes.
I managed to export it as an AIFF sound file after burning a CD and re-importing it through another application. I used one of the Quicktime based
compression "codecs" to get the file down in size – the raw file is some 10 megs!
Windows users might need to get an updated Quicktime plug-in for the browser before they can listen to it – thats my best guess. Unfortunately
I'm none too swift when it comes to audio file formats, etc..
If someone knows how to make this work better please let me know!
mavrothis - 5-24-2004 at 01:00 PM
hey, thanks for the pics and audio! i have the updated quicktime so i worked fine, very nice taksim. i love ghassan bachir's oud too. 
take care,
mav
Audio
spyrosc - 5-24-2004 at 03:57 PM
Downloading the latest Quicktime for Win 2000 from the Apple site did it ! Thanks guys !
Yeah that's Ghassan Bashir allright, but he shaved his moustache so it took a moment to recognize him. Must have been a great rehearsal.
Can't you guys come up North for a couple of days ?
Spyros C.
Jameel - 5-24-2004 at 05:03 PM
Lee,
Thanks for posting these great pics. For us out here in the boonies it's nice to see that the classical repertoire is not dying out. I really
enjoy seeing these pics. I look forward to the day I can make a trip to So. Cal. and see Kan Zaman and meet all you oud fans in the area. Keep em
coming, Lee. 
Elie Riachi - 5-25-2004 at 05:13 PM
Has anyone noticed the machine heads instead of tuning pegs on the oud in picture #23?
Interesting approach.
TruePharaoh21 - 5-26-2004 at 09:14 AM
Elie, the oud was made by Shehata. Just as the pegs are mechanical, I feel the sound is as well. I consider it to be a cross between the electric and
regular oud in tone. I'm not sure if others will agree with me on this. I prefer the traditional pegs.
TP21
Mike - 5-26-2004 at 09:18 AM
Hey Elie,
Look at this thread.
http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?tid=405
Take care,
Mike