It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's supposed to go nicely with a scone or slice of cake. Variously known by its detractors as “supermarket” or “elevator” music, but equally identifiable with the hotel lobby, the instrumental genre made famous by French doyen Richard Clayderman is markedly absent from the shopping aisles and five-star vestibules of Saudi Arabia. 33-year-old Bandar Khalid from Jeddah, however, is hoping to change all that. With four solo easy listening albums of his own compositions and arrangements of popular music classics already to his name, as well as three others recorded with fellow instrumental enthusiasts Khalid Waheed and Abdul Aziz Mahjoub, both of whom have released dozens of their own albums, Bandar has now released his “Music of Michael Jackson” in a bid to reach wider audiences. “It was a Filipino friend, Yousef Mario Germino, who said after Michael Jackson died that I should do a tribute album,” Bandar says. “I'd only just finished recording Middle Eastern Romance 2 (part of a series of collaboration albums with Waheed and Mahjoub), and it took me a little over seven months to arrange and record.” The recording, available on CD, contains sixteen tracks such as Earth Song, Man in the Mirror and We Are The World, with the sign-out number being the genre-defining melody of hits, blending Beat it, Billie Jean and others around a Thriller motif. A self-taught pianist from the age of ten, Bandar records his work at the home studio he has built up over the years. Production and distribution comes courtesy of Modern Shawly Music, run by Haitham Al-Shawli, himself an accomplished singer of Egyptian song, and who has encouraged Bandar and friends in the pursuit of their work. “It's not easy to find companies to take on this sort of thing, they don't believe there's a market for it,” Bandar says. “Easy listening instrumental is not something that immediately attracts Saudis, although lots of people enjoy it when they actually sit down and listen to it.” Bandar believes its popularity can only grow, and cites the YouTube website on which he promotes his work as evidence. “Until YouTube began I was working pretty much in isolation and I hardly knew anyone here who was making music, but through the site I've got to know lots of Saudis who play instruments, particular the piano and guitar, and we get together on the site and share what we're doing,” he says. “It's an amazing thing that's happening.” Bandar hopes that with the renewed interest in Jackson's work his tribute album will open up instrumental easy listening to a public he believes is ready to explore western music beyond the bounds of teen pop and MTV. “Famous singers and musicians like Abdul Majeed Abdullah and Rashed Al-Majid have introduced western scales and instruments, particularly the piano, into their music to good effect, but most Saudis when they listen to foreign music go for the heavier stuff or hip hop and so on. This, however, is more akin to classical music. It sets a mood and creates an atmosphere. It helps you relax. We want to get it out to people.” Bandar's work can be heard at: http://www.youtube.com/user/bandarkhalid2008 __
