Simon Shaheen

Western music is very connected to the rich history of Arabic music. Many of our Western musical instruments are direct descendants of Arabic stringed and reed instruments as well as the use of complex melodies and improvisation in performance. Master musician and composer Simon Shaheen, along with his ensemble Qantara, demonstrates the unique sound and range of several Arabic instruments, performs traditional Arabic music with jazz and classical influences, and involves students in learning rhythms and patterns used most frequently in traditional/classical Arab music

A Musical Journey is an intimate portrait of the Palestinian oud and violin virtuoso Simon Shaheen and his influential career as composer, performer and educator. Born into a musical family and educated at the Academy of Music in Jerusalem, Shaheen arrived in America in 1981 to a landscape where traditional Arab music was little known. His passion for and commitment to sharing the music’s complexities come to life as he teaches and performs in vibrant musical performances that energize the film.

This documentary dissects a slanderous aspect of cinematic history that has run virtually unchallenged form the earliest days of silent film to today's biggest Hollywood blockbusters. The film explores a long line of degrading images of Arabs--from Bedouin bandits and submissive maidens to sinister sheikhs and gun-wielding "terrorists"--along the way offering devastating insights into the origin of these stereotypic images, their development at key points in US history, and why they matter so much today.