Alias

JOAQUIN ROMAS

Little known McGhee fact: apart from the much written about Texas connection, I used to spend time in the Gulf, where I studied the OUD (arab lute) with Palestinian singer and oud player Muhammed Abusumrah.

Abu Dhabi 1984 - Televised fundraiser for MAP (Medical Aid for Palestine). Wes 2nd left (with strat). Abusumrah 4th left (with oud).

Abusumrah was living in Abu Dhabi playing and teaching oud and also MD’ing the police marching band. He eventually returned to the West Bank and I lost touch, but I saw him a couple of years ago in a TV documentary about the history of the guitar, the oud being the acknowledged forerunner of the guitar. He was sitting in the back of a car, singing a traditional song, and he said he was now running Yasar Arafat’s marching band. I hope he’s safe.

Some time later I was asked to write music for a Channel 4 documentary called “Voices From Exile”, about the plight of exiled Iraqi women during the Saddam regime. The oud was the instrument ideally suited to the job. During the sessions I recorded a lot of extra material that wasn’t used in the film and recently dug it out again, adding some Spanish guitar and a couple of new pieces, and the main influence of the album became Moorish Spain.

Those people who “know” about these things advised against putting the album out in my own name, saying die hard McGhee fans might find it too different and be disappointed, while world music fans would run a mile from anything with the McGhee brand on it - hence - Joaqin Romas, a name suggested by long time McGhee band keyboard man, Simon Webb.

I like to think music is music and the kind of folks that like my records think the same way - but hey!

I’ve got a couple of similarly weird projects on the go at the moment . Keep an eye on the news page ….

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