JassimbinMater
Oud Addict
Posts: 47
Registered: 2-22-2018
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Ben Harbit ouds
Does anyone here have a Ben Harbit oud or know where I can find one (other than the ones Ahmed Chiki has)?
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Khalil_Oud
Oud Maniac
Posts: 86
Registered: 8-28-2016
Location: Montreal
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Hi Jassim,
I do have two of Ben Harbit ouds, one made in 1956 and the other in 1963. The first one was made for my father's master : Ahmed Soulaymane Chaouqi,
who gave it as a gift to my father in the '70s, He was crafted by the two ben Harbit Brothers, and the second (1963) was ordered directly by my
father.
The playability is very good, the sound is soft and well balanced.
It is difficult to find some one who is ready to buy one. On the website of chiki, he tells that he has a few genuine ouds of ben Harbit, but I'm not
sure he will buy one of them. The other option, is some andalousian musicians, in Fès, Casablanca or Rabat...
Good luck !
Khalil
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JassimbinMater
Oud Addict
Posts: 47
Registered: 2-22-2018
Member Is Offline
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Dear Khalil,
Thank you so much for your response! Indeed it is difficult to find anyone who will sell one- I asked some members of the Ben Harbit family and they
said if you find some, we’d love to have one, because they don’t have any either! Chiki has the ones on his site and a few more- Chiki’s son
said his father has more, but I’ve yet to see them. I bought one from him from the younger Ben Harbit brother- i love the way it sounds, but the
face is warped , so part of it is higher and the strings hit the shamsiya if it’s played with any force, so I can only play very lightly on it. I
think I have seen a picture of Ahmed Soulaymane Chaouqi with a Ben harbit oud- could it be the same one?
To me it’s crazy that such a prolific and superb oud maker, with everyone like Ahmed El bidhaoui (my favorite oud player and composer, I have many
of his taqassim and songs memorised and am thinking to make a book of them inchallah), Abdelwahab Agoumi
, the many Andalusi oud players, and many musicians in Algeria as well like Ourrad Boumedine, and even Farid Al Atrash who he made an oud for when he
visited morocco, all had ouds from him and yet they are so hard to find now.
I’d love to discuss this more with you- I think I added you on Facebook, and my whatsapp is +212 602-746947 and my email is
jassimkunji@hotmail.com
Tabarakallah 3leik ah sidi!
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