Radiodervish

In my opinion this band should be considered for inclusion in PA in the prog folk section…They blend ethnical Mediterranean influences with classical influences in a very personal way (for instance one of their song “Li Beirut” is based on the music of Joaquin Rodrigo’s “Concierto for Aranujez” and has lyrics in Arab; in their albums they use string quartets and other classical instruments…) Their album “In Search Of Simurgh” is an interesting “concept” inspired by the literary work “The Conference of the Birds” (Mantiq at-Tayr) by the 12th century Persian author Farid ad-din Attar.

Similar band already included in PA are Indaco, Aktuala and some works of Franco Battiato

Biography (from the official website)

Radiodervish was founded in Bari in 1997, an artistic partnership between Nabil Salameh and Michele Lobaccaro, who had been in the previous group, Al Darawish.
The diversity of their cultural origins gives life to songs that are like brief workshops for identifying connections between east and west. These pathways can be found in the symbols and legends of the various cultures around the Mediterranean, a frontier zone which unites and at the same time separates the peoples of the area.
The result is a refined musical portrait, a harmonious blend of melody and lyrics in Italian, Arabic, English and French, inspired by both the Arab and Western musical traditions.
This diversity is at the heart of both the originality and the innovation that sets them apart on the world music stage and on the Italian music scene.
Radiodervish have played at major festivals and venues throughout Italy (from the Tenco Prize at Sanremo to the festival at Villa Arconati in Milan, from Arezzo Wave to the Notte della Taranta), as well as top dates outside Italy: Beirut, Brussels, Athens, and at the prestigious Théâtre de l'Olympia in Paris.
In the six years they have been together, Alessandro Pipino has been a constant help with composition and arrangements, and they have played alongside a number of international musicians, including Noa, Amal Morkus, Rim Banna, Nicola Piovani, CSI, Jovanotti, Stewart Copeland, Nazareth's Arabian Orchestra.

Discography (from the official website)
- Lingua contro lingua (Tongue against tongue) (1998 - Dischi del Mulo / PolyGram) presented at the Turin Music Salon and winner of the Premio Ciampi prize for the best debut album of the year.
- In acustico (Acoustically) (2001 - Princigalli Produzioni/Cosmasola) a compilation of the group's most famous tracks, from the early days as Al Darawish, recorded live at the Auditorium Vallisa in Bari.
- Centro del Mundo (2002 - Cosmasola/Il Manifesto) coincided with the group's greatest level of exposure and success on the Italian and international music scenes, acclaimed by both public and critics alike.
- In search of Simurgh (2004 - Cosmasola/Il Manifesto) is a special project produced by Saro Cosentino and inspired by a classic of Sufi mystical literature, The Conference Of The Birds, by Farid ad din Attar (12th century).

In search of SIMURGH is a special project inspired by the literary work The Conference of the Birds (Mantiq at-Tayr) by the 12th century Persian author Farid ad-din Attar.
This classic work of Sufi literature starts with a conference of all the birds, who decide to undertake a long and arduous journey to seek their King, Simurgh. The metaphorical journey which Attar depicts is a wonderful fresco of the diversity that humankind has to offer - kings and princesses, silver-chested slaves and damsels with moon-shaped faces, archangels who talk to people and love-struck errant sufis. The tracks on the album are all connected with Attar's book: one tells of the tender love between Layla and Majnun, emblematic figures recalling archetypal lovers in Oriental literature; some tunes evoke the figure of the Hoopoe and of the Phoenix, key birds in mystic symbolism, while others capture the essence of flight, the main metaphor throughout both the book and the album, with ethereal tracks such as La Falena e la Candela (The Moth and the Candle) and yet another, Cento Mondi (A Hundred Worlds), recalls a space voyage. The music makes up a sort of oriental suite in which emotions inherent in the literary work generate a fable-like atmosphere with moments of meditative and rarefied consciousness. The lyrics are written in the diverse languages typical of Radiodervish's approach, the three main ones being Arabic, English and Italian. (From the site www.babelmed.net)