Hamid Al-Saadi - Maqam Al Iraq / Dar al-Fikir wa al Amjad (2025) [Hi-Res]

Hamid Al-Saadi (b. 1958, Iraq) is the sole living master of the entire Iraqi Maqam repertoire—a tradition of long-form sung poetry, passed down for generations and inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. His powerful vocals channel this spiritual tradition that contains echoes from Baghdad’s golden ages and ancient Mesopotamian civilizations. Maqam Al-Iraq is Hamid’s first release since 1999 and one of a handful of commercially released albums in the genre. It also marks the debut of Maqam Records, a label dedicated to traditional and contemporary Maqam-inspired music.
Al-Saadi memorized all 56 maqam compositions from a very young age and was named successor to the 20th-century Maqam grandmasters, Yusuf Omar and Mohammed Al-Gubbanchi. The latter referred to Al-Saadi as “the ideal link to pass on the Maqam to future generations,” which is demonstrated through this album.

Tracklist:
1-1 Hamid Al-Saadi - Maqam Al Iraq / Dar al-Fikir wa al Amjad [25:32]