British Council's Shifting Sands appeared at Celtic Connections this month as part of an ongoing initiative bringing together musicians from Scotland,England and the Arabian Peninsula.

Directed by Bellowhead's Andy Mellon and featuring guitarist/singer Sam Carter, guitar and oud player Hasan Hujairi, and one of Scotland's leading harp players, Corrina Hewat, the project bridges cultural boundaries through the shared heritage of seafaring music and the use of traditional and contemporary instrumentation.

Vocal elements were similarly conducted in an ancient meets modern manner as Gaelic singer Norrie MacIver was twinned with beatboxer Ruari Sutherland.

Hasan Hujairi, who experiments with field recordings and soundscapes, blogs for us about the project and the concert.

Hasan Hujairi

Central to the music we prepared for our performance at Celtic Connections Festival 2011 was the relationship between each of our musical traditions and the sea. As a person with an academic background in Historiography and Ethnomusicology, I find examining how the sea connects us (and our musical traditions) extremely fascinating and beneficial.

Through the sharing of our musical traditions we not only learn new things about each other, but about ourselves as well – this especially applies to us musicians. I feel very excited to be able to share our commonalities with the audience.

I have gained much from our discussions on how to present sea-related musical traditions in ways that still appreciate their sources.

The atmosphere in Glasgow, particularly around the Festival venue, was very conducive to creative music and giving the audience a very special performance. But what really makes the experience special is the Shifting Sands team. Each musician adds a very important dynamic to the exciting and rare sound we have managed to create.

The back-stories and conversations I shared with the other musicians, and the team-based framework in which we made our music, are what have left the strongest impressions on me. Discussions on sea shanties and the mythologies linked to the musical instruments we play were fascinating, and reminded me how similar people are around the world.

I also rediscovered my appreciation for the aesthetics of traditional music, and how to present those aesthetics in a context that is exciting to the listener.

I strongly believe that projects such as Shifting Sands need to continue receiving support; there are important intangible benefits for all involved. Such initiatives provide an important platform for people from different cultures to meet and share ideas.

I also hope that by promoting creative and cultural exchange projects such as this, a refreshing new sound and experience can be presented to audiences, and to the artists involved.

Shifting Sands Background

The project began in Kuwait in February 2010, where the musicians first started work on combining their distinct musical styles. Later that year the group reconvened for the first Shifting Sands sessions in the UK, culminating in a performance at the Southbank Centre, marking the opening of 2010 Meltdown festival which was curated by the legendary British guitarist Richard Thomson.

In partnership with the Bahrain Ministry of Culture, Shifting Sands will then travel to Manama, Bahrain, for the following performances:

Wednesday 2 February - Shifting Sands family and schools concert

Friday 4 February - Shifting Sands public concert.