Ayman Abi Kheir

Life Beyond the Port of Beirut – Album (2024)

Since its earliest history, Beirut has been a hub of culture on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean. Many ancient civilizations have passed through its port and its natives have spread their inventions, products, and culture anywhere their ships have landed. Life Beyond the Port of Beirut pays homage to this historical city and its port. It shares my life experiences abroad, “beyond this port”, and it intends to give hope to all the Lebanese and remind them that there is life after the death caused by the Port of Beirut explosion. The album has 8 tracks, 6 are composed for drum set, bass, keys, guitar, and saxophone, with violin on one track. One track (Frog Fog) is fully computer-generated as MIDI; the last (Subtle Arguments) is ‘Musique Concrète’.

Personel:

Songs

1. On Your Own: On Your Own is a flow of ideas, thoughts, and emotions that I experienced during the summer of 2020 when the lockdown prevented me from flying home to see my family. I therefore found myself “on my own” trying to handle the responsibility of life.

2. Night Sculpture with Dale: It was a mystical night when I finished one of my many inspiring phone calls with Dale and sat down to play my piano. Just like the sculpture I was helping him with, I sculpted the introductory part of this piece. Dale is an exceptional sculptor who lives near Columbus, Ohio and whom I briefly worked with in 2021. It was an unforgettable experience getting to spend time with him and learn about his craft.

3. Life Beyond the Port of Beirut: The historical and lively Port of Beirut is not at the same glorious state it was at throughout history. A catastrophic explosion destroyed it on August 4, 2020. Devastated by the news, I returned to my apartment in Columbus, Ohio, and played my guitar. I was experimenting with the David Crosby guitar tuning of EBDGAD. The guitar part for Life Beyond the Port of Beirut thus emerged as source of hope, perseverance, and life after death.

4. Frog Fog: Frog Fog is a computer-generated piece that uses midi and virtual instruments. It was created in 2023. What would frogs sound like if they synchronize their ribbits? The Illformed Glitch2 plug-in was inserted to some tracks with virtual instruments in Ableton Live to answer that question. It’s a foggy weather and, in a foggy state, the frogs ribbit their music!

5. مسافر – Traveler: مسافر is the Arabic word for ‘Traveler’. It is a reflection on the period surrounding my flight from Beirut, Lebanon to Columbus, Ohio in the summer of 2019 coming back to resume my college education in the U.S. The musical ideas to this piece were all inspired by my experiences around that time. I felt my soul being stretched to a new land while its roots were still attached back home.

6. When the Old Woman Knits: This music is intended to represent the pride, authenticity, and compassion of a grandmother knitting wool clothes to keep her loved ones warm during winter. The different sections of the piece represent the different segments of the knitted wool.

7. Crowley, & Life Thereafter: Finishing my undergrad and getting my work authorization in the U.S during Covid, made it difficult to find a job. A very kind Lebanese lady named Hala Zahreddine and her husband Michael Crowley hosted me and let me stay with them until the situation got better. It was a very special experience living with them and becoming an older brother to their kids Anthony and Andrew. They became like a family to me, and I will forever be grateful. This piece was started when I was staying with them and completed after I left Columbus, Ohio to get my master’s at the University of Louisville.

8. Subtle Arguments: Subtle Arguments is a Musique Concrète piece that uses pre-recorded
sounds as its raw materials. The sounds are those of objects. Object have a voice; expression; something to say… They all state their arguments. Each is important. The result is music. The result is life.