This musical group proposes a journey to the heart through the ritual music of Central Asia and Turkish Sufi music. The band SEMAI devote themselves to performing in concert the music of Central Asia, Turkey and also Sufi music and dance throughout the length and breadth of Spain. The main members are the Andalusian musician Ignacio Béjar and the Catalonian musician Jordi Delclos, but they are often accompanied by other kindred musicians. The group has performed in places such as La Casa Árabe in Cordoba, the Espacio Ronda in Madrid, or the Francisco Rabal theatre in Pinto.
The members of SEMAI have travelled to places where they have learned these forms of music in the traditional way –direct teaching from master to pupil– along with the essence and the spiritual legacy they carry. SEMA is a form of meditation in movement, a ritual which the dervishes of places like Turkey, Syria or Egypt have performed for centuries, turning continuously and imitating the movements of planets and atoms that they may draw blessings to the place where it is performed and to the people who participate. For this dance they recite dikr (Sufi mantras) and play Sufi traditional music, creating a special rhythm and atmosphere dedicated to opening the heart.
MEMBERS:
Jordi Hayri Delclos................Kopus, rebab, voice
Jordi Olmos..............Mazar, dhombra, whirling dervish
Ignacio Béjar..........Turkish ney, Turkish clarinet, oud