Dubai rappers Eslam Jawaad and Malikah on working with the Orchestra of Syrian Musicians

Eslam Jawaad was one of two Dubai-based musicians who joined the orchestra on tour, the other being fellow rapper Malikah. She agrees that only the music mattered on the tour.

The Orchestra Of Syrian Musicians in Amsterdam. Photo by Ayman Oghanna

With its members scattered across the globe, it is never easy to assemble the Orchestra of Syrian Musicians, even when it is for some of the biggest gigs of their careers.

Despite the difficulties, 50-plus members of the ensemble – who formerly performed together in the Syrian National Orchestra for Arabic Music – managed to get together last yearto headline six major European festivals under the banner of Africa Express, a project from Blur frontman Damon Albarn.

He gathered the group in a ­studio in Amsterdam last summer for two days of rehearsals before heading out on the road.

With so many rival factions in war-torn Syria, one might imagine political divisions and conflicting opinions would have emerged when the orchestra got together for the first time in five years.

Not so, says Eslam Jawaad, a Dubai-based Syrian-Lebanese rapper who worked alongside the musicians during the tour, having previously been part of Albarn’s Gorillaz and The Good, the Bad & the Queen projects.

“Everyone really tried to shy away from politics because that’s what always seems to dominate people’s minds when it comes to Syria, and we wanted to say ‘no’,” he says.

Paul Weller performs with The Orchestra Of Syrian Musicians in Amsterdam. Photo by Ayman Oghanna

“That’s one side of it but we’re still humans, we still laugh, we still joke, we still make music, and this is a part of our culture that is more ­interesting to look at than the war.

“Let’s look at our culture, the beauty of Syrian culture that is thousands and thousands of years old. No one wanted to talk about politics, to be honest.”

Jawaad was one of two Dubai-based musicians who joined the orchestra on tour, the other being fellow rapper Malikah. She agrees that only the music mattered on the tour.

“A lot of the members hadn’t seen each other for years, so it was great to see how they ­reconnected and went back to the good days of doing music for the love of music,” she says.

“We only had a couple of days of rehearsal to put the whole show together, and then we were straight out touring the main stages of all these sold-out festivals with 200,000 or 300,000 people in the audience – an incredible experience.”

The shows were recorded and the music released last weekend on the live album Africa Express Presents... The Orchestra of Syrian Musicians and Guests.

The tracks include collaborations with international stars including former The Jam frontman Paul Weller, Senegalese musician Seckou Keita, Turkish rapper Ceza, as well as Albarn.

Behind the scenes of a rehearsal session with the The Orchestra Of Syrian Musicians. Photo by Ayman Oghanna

Used to often appearing on stage accompanied by only a DJ, Malikah admits the full orchestra experience was strange.

“It’s a different world completely,” she says. “I remember the first time I performed with a band – just a drummer, a bassist and a guitarist – and it was already 10 times better, so much stronger than digital music.

“So when you get to an orchestra, it’s such a higher level, such a feeling. At first I didn’t know how I was going to fit into that, but I’m very flexible when it comes to music and I can fit into almost anything.”

Jawaad also admits the new ­setting was daunting.

“The biggest challenge was the timing,” he says.

“One of the more memorable moments from the whole thing for me was Glastonbury.

“We literally got there about 10 minutes before we were due on stage because of the traffic.

"We didn't have time for a soundcheck or anything, and I think the funniest thing was that when Damon was performing [the Blur song] Out of Time he was, quite literally, out of time.

“But all in all, it was great. Sure, it was a little out of our usual comfort zone as rappers but that’s what makes it more ­challenging and more interesting as musicians.”

Although the logistics of ­getting the orchestra together again are far from simple, Malikah and Jawaad hope to continue working with them.

The former has already performed at a private Google event in Holland with them since the tour finished.

“We only work with orchestras now – it’s on our rider now every time we go out and play,” Jawad jokes.

“A lot of them are now in ­Europe and I literally just came off the phone with a guy who is ­looking at future festival appearances in Europe.

“I’m working with some of them on a personal level, too, so we’re keeping the connections open and whatever we can do with them, I’m happy to do.”

• Africa Express Presents... The Orchestra of Syrian Musicians and Guests is out now