Al Darawish

Al Darawish was an Italian world music group formed in Bari in 1988. The band members were from Apulia, Palestine and Greece and they had first met at the University of Bari while they were students. As they could all play at least an instrument, they decided to found a band in which their own talent, music skill and cultural background would merge in music and lyrics talking about stories and experiences of people coming from their places of origin. As a matter of fact Al Darawish means "simple people" in Arabic and their lyrics were generally written in Arabic and in Italian, but also in Greek, French, Spanish, English and even Latin. They were one of the first successful experiences of world music in Italy and received great approval from the public. By playing both traditional and modern electrical instruments they gave life to a style of their own which could be defined as "Mediterranean ethno-rock". They also contributed to carry on and feed a school in Southern Italy which uses multi-ethnic and traditional music to give voice to human and social events related to people living in the Mediterranean region. Al Darawish recorded their first homonymous album Al Darawish in 1993, followed by Radio Dervish in 1996. In 1997 Al Darawish split up, part of them founding the group Radiodervish and others the band X-Darawish.