souk al amir

As cold and miserable as the winter can be 'round these here parts, once the April showers are over Bay Area residents can pretty much count on sunny days from May all the way through the October heat wave, and there is plenty of outdoor culture planned to take advantage of them.  Case in point: the annual calendar of free performances in Yerba Buena Gardens, a most pleasant place indeed to relax on a weekend afternoon.  This last Saturday the Gardens Festival was co-presenting a program with the Arab Cultural Center of San Francisco called "The Glories of Arab Music", featuring violinist Georges Lammam (and two of his brothers) as well as special guest Naser Musa on the oud.  The musicians took us on a virtual tour of many Arabian countries including Iraq, Egypt, and Lebanon, pausing between songs to explain some lyrics or to point out a unique regional rhythm.  The day was beautiful, and the music was divine.