Jawa is the power of passion, a heritage born of sorrow. This passion flows from thelove that remains in our memory from what has been transmitted from one heart toanother since ancient times. The love for songs that were heard in Aleppo’s sufi takiyaand zawiya, the places that were dedicated to them, spread through the city. Thesadness is born from the fear of seeing this passion disappear in the diaspora that isscattered across the four corners of the world.Jawa decided to provide a musical accompaniment to Aleppo’s sufi heritage, whichwas originally performed a capella, with a carefully chosen selection of pieces. Thisvocal repertoire is interpreted in a new and expertly crafted form by musicians fromSyria, Belgium, Palestine and the Maghreb. The album is divided into 5 waslas, a seriesof pieces in a maqam (melodic mode) that follow one another in form and speed.  Themaqam gives its name to the wasla.Each wasla starts with an improvisation by one of the musicians who gives his vision ofthe maqam. He prepares the singer through his playing and the sound of the instrument.

Next comes the muhawash/moshar – from the Syriac musrata which signifies rhythmor hymn. The muhawash/moshar is a musical form in which the singer can show hiscommand of the maqams. It is characterised by long and complex rhythms. Next it’sthe turn of the quodud (plural of qadd) which signifies the union of words in a familiarmelody, or vice versa. These have a simpler rhythm and structure.The pieces follow one another in the same wasla according to the speed and dynamic,from slow to fast, from complex to simple, from long to short. They mark the passagefrom sadness to joy, from earth to heaven, where the soul leaves the body and takesflight towards the creator according to Mevlana jelal eldin el Roumi, the master of theMevlevi brotherhood.

These waslas are accompanied by the dance of whirling dervishes who express the joyand love of the divine. The dancer dresses first in black, symbolising the life he leavesbehind him, far from ego and others, leaving the earthly world to turn towards thecelestial kingdom. Dressed in white, symbolising death, he turns to join eternity deckedin a long felt hat, the kawouk, in reference to the grave stone.