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A unique collection of classical Arab music from artists such as Sayyed Al Safti, Sami Al Shawa, and Amin Al Bouzari will soon be available in digital format for the first time. Lebanese businessman Kamal Kassar, founder of the AMAR Foundation, fought off competition from around the world, including Radio Israel, to purchase the astonishing collection of Egyptian music historian Abd Al-Aziz Anani, which included several thousand 78-rpm records of Egyptian and Syro-Lebanese music, 33-rpms, magnetic bands, books, monographs, and catalogues of recording companies.

Charbel Rouhana talks about his past, present and future in an interview with Olga Haddad Issa.

Perhaps Lebanon’s most famous sax player, Toufic Farroukh’s music can be heard anywhere from the Liberty store in London, to student bars in Beirut’s bustling Hamra district. So, when news came of an imminent new album, the fans of “Tootya” and “Drabzeen” were thrilled. The Parisian émigré’s fifth album, “Cinema Beyrouth” is an ode to his city of origin, which he left at a very young age. As the seductive and narra- tive tunes unfold, the listener is left to picture stories and anecdotes around the hypnotic city of Beirut.

Lebanese jazz composer Toufic Farroukh talks about how he came to his new-old sound

One of Lebanon's most significant contributions to the international music landscape (aside from dabkeh, of course) is "Oriental jazz" a clever blend of Western jazz modalities and improvisation conventions with those of the Arabic classical tradition.
One of the pioneers of Lebanon's Oriental jazz, along with Ziad Rahbani and Rabih Abu Khalil, is Toufic Farroukh. That's not to say he's very fond of the term.