Ziad Rahbani in Egypt: Stories of love and friendship from Cairo to Beirut

It was not a planned meeting, but rather a fleeting moment that brought together writer Amira Al-Nashouqati, poet Ahmed Haddad, Egyptian oud player Hazem Shahin, and the late Lebanese musician Ziad Rahbani on an evening in Cairo in 2010. What began as a chance encounter ended in a deep human and artistic relationship, punctuated by friendships and joint projects, and woven together by a shared love of art and music. This relationship revealed other sides of Ziad Rahbani, as seen by his fans in Egypt: a man before he was a musician, as sincere as his songs, and close to everyone.

A hidden mutual love

This encounter holds a special place in the memory of writer and journalist Amira Al-Nashouqati, as it revealed to her that her love for Ziad Al-Rahbani’s art was shared by her family without her prior knowledge, as her late grandfather, musician Zakaria Ahmed (January 6, 1896 – February 14, 1961), was Ziad’s favorite composer and source of inspiration.

She recounts her memories of the musician Ziad Rahbani to Bab Masr, saying: “This meeting came about by chance, during a jazz festival at El Sawy Culturewheel. I was with the poet Ahmed Haddad and the composer Hazem Shahin, who are both related to me. After attending as audience members, we were surprised to see Ziad Rahbani standing outside smoking a cigarette. He finished his cigarette and we stopped to greet him.”

Meet Ziad Rahbani. Amira was excited about this encounter: “I love his words and his melodies!” She went on to say that he is a sincere person, just like his art.

Zakaria Ahmad forever

During the short meeting, Amira introduced herself as the granddaughter of musician Zakaria Ahmad, and was surprised by his reaction. He told her that he was his favorite composer and a source of inspiration, and that he even had a picture of Sheikh Zakaria Ahmad next to a picture of his late father, Assi Rahbani, in his home in Lebanon. “When Hazem Shahine visited his home in Lebanon, he sent me a photo confirming this,” she said.

According to her, joint artistic projects later emerged between Ahmed Haddad and Hazem Shahine. Ahmed was supposed to write a song for Ziad Rahbani, but the project was never completed.

Nevertheless, Ziad became familiar with Ahmed’s poetry through this collaboration, and communication began between them. As for Hazem Shahin, he continued his musical career and released a new album a few months ago that included a piece entitled “Zakaria Ahmed to Infinity.” Amira adds:

“Hazem wrote this piece as a tribute to Sheikh Zakaria. It is not based on his melodies, but rather a sincere tribute from his soul. Ziad Rahbani was the producer.”

An artistic legacy!

The piece is like a musical autobiography, documenting the stages of Zakaria Ahmed’s life, as if it were his personal memoirs set to music. She adds: “I felt that what Ziad did was a very noble gesture, for a great artist like him to support a new generation in this way.”

She believes that this kind of appreciation does not happen often, because many people, as she describes, do not appreciate artistic icons as they should, and do not make such beautiful gestures. But what Ziad did was a message, or an “artistic extension” from one generation to another, and a highly valued tribute.

Amira loved Ziad Rahbani’s art, “Bala Wa La Shi,” and he had a great personal and emotional impact on her. She had loved his music for a long time, without knowing that her grandfather was his source of inspiration. She continues: “His lyrics are always honest, humane, and express his bias towards humanity, far from any political affiliations.”

Musical renewal

Despite Ziad Rahbani’s love for Sheikh Zakaria Ahmad, she does not believe that he was directly inspired by his music. She says: “It is true that my grandfather, Zakaria Ahmad, was also an innovator, but within an Eastern framework. He renewed the taqatiq of the 1920s in a way that made them short, contemporary songs, which I see as intersecting with Ziad’s thinking and the difference in his work.”

Ziad mixed jazz and modern music, and she explains: “I am not a music expert, but I feel that he retained a subtle Egyptian spirit in some of his Eastern melodies, such as the song ‘Qal Qayl’ from the album ‘Fi Amal’, but they are impressive melodies.”

It is noteworthy that Sheikh Zakaria was not only a source of inspiration for Ziad, but also for composer Hazem Shahin, whom he admires, as he loves Sayed Darwish.

Mutual appreciation

Al-Nashouqati adds: “Over the years, from the first time I met him to the last concert he gave in Egypt, Ziad Rahbani always made sure to invite us to his concerts. Although we would have attended anyway, his invitation was always appreciated and a nice gesture on his part.

I didn’t have a direct personal friendship with him, but there was mutual affection and respect.”

She continues: “I sent him a copy of the book I wrote, and he replied by sending me a collection of his works, including a recording of his famous play ”Balna Baqra Shu“ (What About Tomorrow), the film ”Amirki Taweel“ (Tall American), and also ”Al-Khata B” (Plan B). We tried repeatedly to invite him to visit us while he was in Egypt, but his constant busy schedule prevented that.”

She adds about his professional side: “I wrote about him and covered more than one press conference for him, especially since he rarely appeared in the media and seldom gave exclusive interviews to journalists. Perhaps this was because he was also a journalist, and it was difficult for him to be interviewed by a journalist.”

She describes his personality as follows: “He is a cultured, deeply humane, light-hearted, intelligently sarcastic man with amazing intuition. In all his work, he speaks with sincerity, and he is exactly like his art—which is the height of sincerity. An artist should resemble his work, and his personal presence should reflect the essence of what he presents.”

The final farewell

Musician and oud player Hazem Shahin was keen to attend the funeral of musician Ziad Rahbani in Lebanon, as they were close friends.

Ziad produced Shahin’s last album, and the two had previously shared the stage in joint concerts, where Shahin performed some of Rahbani’s most famous works, including “Ana Mesh Kafar,” “Shu Ha Ayam,” “Amerika Min,” and “Hada Min Yilil Biyazona.”

A living biography

Artist and poet Ahmed Haddad talks about his special relationship with musician Ziad Rahbani, which began when they met in 2010. Although it has not yet culminated in a joint artistic work, it was filled with mutual appreciation and fond memories.

Haddad told Bab Masr: “Ziad was always on my mind. He influenced me a lot, and I always talk about him and include his touch in my work, especially in films, which must include some of his songs. But what really amazed me was that he didn’t forget me and spoke kindly about me, which had a big impact on me.”

He continues: “What I hoped for was that we would be brought together by a real artistic project. There was an opportunity for that when Ziad suggested to the singer Latifa that we collaborate. She contacted me and expressed her desire to work with me, and she told me all the nice things Ziad had said about me. I hoped that this moment would culminate in a joint project, but unfortunately, it never came to fruition.”

Musical collaboration and an unforgettable moment

Haddad points out that the artist who collaborated most with Ziad was the musician Hazem Shahin, saying, “We worked together extensively, and I hosted him with the band Eskandrelah more than once. Through this collaboration, something happened that seemed simple on the surface, but was very significant for me.”

Although Ziad Rahbani did not compose directly for Ahmed Haddad, there is a song written by Haddad and composed by Hazem Shahin entitled “New Page” for the band Eskandrelah, and Ziad was like a spiritual father to the band.

Haddad says: “At one of the concerts where Ziad hosted the band Eskandrelah, I saw Ziad playing the song I had composed and singing along with it—it was a very big and emotional moment for me.”

Cinematic collaboration

Haddad also touched on his last interaction with musician Ziad Rahbani, which was during his work on his film Amma En Halat Al-Taqas (As for the Weather). He said, “I contacted Ziad to get permission to use his song ‘Wala Kayf’ in the film’s soundtrack, and he was very cooperative. He suggested that it be re-sung by another singer to avoid any legal issues that might arise, and he gave me his permission to use it. It was a beautiful gesture on his part, confirming his respect for art and artists.” Haddad expresses Ziad’s artistic and cultural stature by saying, “When you think of Lebanon or Beirut, after Fairuz, Ziad immediately comes to mind.

He is closer to Egyptian artists in his sensibility, and I always feel as if he is Sayed Darwish’s cousin or Zakaria Ahmed’s cousin. These two composers in particular had a clear influence on the formation of his artistic vision and were always present in his artistic personality.”

The Rahbani family

Ziad Rahbani was not immune to attributing his artistic achievements to his famous family, as was the case with Ahmed Haddad himself, who belonged to an artistic family that included poets Salah Jahin and Fouad Haddad.

Haddad says: “Although all members of the Rahbani family are very talented, Ziad is the most distinctive and unique. In the 1960s, there were Assi, Mansour, and Elias, who produced timeless works, but Ziad came with a different spirit and a different kind of genius.”

He continues: “This influence is also evident among the Lebanese people, especially in the farewell song that Ziad performed with Fairuz, specifically in the passage where she says, ‘Tomorrow I will come back and stand with you,’ which has become something of a national anthem for the public. People repeat it and stamp their feet as they listen. I have never seen a similar influence in music except with Sayed Darwish.”

Music for music’s sake

Ahmed Haddad describes the musician Ziad Rahbani as “a genius, an inspiration, and a man of great humanity,” noting that he was one of the few who managed to break free artistically from the shadow of his illustrious family without denying it.

He says: “Ziad did not have to run away from his family’s legacy. He loved them and worked in silence, creating his own path. I respect that, because it is not easy to find your own voice within a family that has such a strong presence in the artistic memory.”

He talks about his personal experience: “When I appeared at the age of 15, I was attacked simply because I also come from an artistic family. But art, whether it’s music or writing, isn’t inherited. I may choose later to dedicate a work to my father or my grandfather if I like it, but I didn’t come to poetry through them, I came to it for poetry itself. Ziad did the same thing… He chose music for music’s sake.“

He adds: ”There are definitely people in Ziad’s family who are not artists, which confirms that in the end it’s not so much about heredity as it is about chance and real talent. We all love and respect him because he is an artist with a global influence. The music he has produced speaks louder than words, and he is one of the few artists whose pure musical works we can enjoy as much as the songs themselves.”