Le Trio Joubran | Masar đ”đž
Three Palestinian brothers built the first oud trio and created a track that stopped listeners mid-scroll, inspired by Mahmoud Darwish's poetry on their breakthrough album Majaz in 2007.
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Story Behind âMasarâ
The Moment That Stops You
Someone was doing exactly what most of us do with music nowâscrolling through recommendations on Spotify, half-listening, background radiation. Then âMasarâ played. According to one listenerâs discovery story, the algorithm suggested music similar to Marcel Khalife. The playlist hummed along harmlessly until âMasarâ arrived from the album Majaz. Suddenly something started to play that made that person stop. Stop scrolling. Stop working. Stop everything. Find out what this was. Thatâs not algorithm luck. Thatâs a song so undeniable that it interrupts the constant stream.
Thatâs what âMasarâ does. It doesnât announce itself. It doesnât need to. The track opens with something so simple and inevitableâa riff âbased around a simple riff that just builds and builds in invention and intensityââthat you have no choice but to follow wherever it goes. By the time percussion enters, youâre already committed. By the time the three ouds weave around each other in conversation, youâre somewhere else entirely.
Three Brothers, One Instrument, A Revolution
The story of the Joubran Trioâs creation can be traced back some ten years before âMasarâ was recorded. Samir Joubran, the eldest, started his solo career with his first two albums, Taqaseem (1996) and Souâfahm (2001). For his third album, Tamaas, Samir invited his younger brother Wissam to join him on his musical adventure. That collaboration changed everything. In 2002, again at his brotherâs side, Wissam performed musical interludes at readings of Mahmoud Darwishâ poetry.
Then came the crucial moment. Returning from a tour, Samir brings up the possibility of forming a trio. This possibility becomes the object of Adnanâs striving, and during the next year he would work with passion and discipline. For Adnan, the youngest brother, born in Nazareth in 1985, learning the oud had come lateâbut with urgency. His desire to play it becomes stronger at the age of fifteen. For two years, alone and with the help of his older brothers, Adnan learns to play this instrument. Immediately upon coming home from school, he would pick up Wissamâs oud and, playing Samirâs melodies, send his fingers flying along the trail left by his brother.
It is thus that, in Parisâ Luxembourg garden in August 2004, the Joubran Trio would come to life. The first audience Adnan would play to are his fatherâs clients. Their father, Hatem, is among the most renowned stringed-instrument makers in Palestine and in the Arab world. Three brothers, all with the same instrument, descended from a family of oud makers going back four generations. This wasnât just a band. This was heritage becoming music becoming revolution.
As critics would note, they are the first oud trio. The world had never heard three ouds played together in conversation, responding to each other, sometimes in unison, sometimes weaving separate lines that somehow fit perfectly together. When Randana arrived in 2005 as their debut album, listeners heard something they had no reference point for. The oudâthat ancient pear-shaped instrument from the Levantine traditionâhad never sounded like this before.
âMasarâ Recording and Production Details
The Album Born From Poetry
For Majaz, their second album recorded in 2007, Samir Joubran looked beyond just his own vision. To compose cet album, Samir Joubran sâest beaucoup inspirĂ© dâun opus du poĂšte palestinien Mahmoud DARWICH qui traite de lâamour. The album was shaped by deep engagement with Darwishâs work on loveânot romantic love in the conventional sense, but the multivalent, layered meaning the poet poured into that word. Majaz presents des piĂšces plus concises que son prĂ©dĂ©cesseur (more concise pieces than their predecessor), but non moins prĂ©cises et sophistiquĂ©es, oniriques et emportĂ©es (no less precise and sophisticated, dreamy and carried away).
The album was always based on the traditional maqĂąmsâthe melodic modes that structure Arabic music. But Samir Joubran goes well au-delĂ des frontiĂšres du genre (beyond the boundaries of genre). He brought in new inspirations, notably from Paco De Lucia and flamenco. That cross-cultural pollination matters. The oud and the Spanish guitar come from different worlds, but both emerged from places where cultures collided and created something hybrid. The Joubrans understood that tradition isnât preservationâitâs conversation.
Majaz se distingue Ă©galement des prĂ©cĂ©dentes rĂ©alisations de Samir en faisant intervenir cette fois un quatriĂšme Ă©lĂ©mentâpercussion. On this album, Youssef Hbeisch occasionally accompanies the brothers on percussion. Heâs not leading. Heâs supporting, adding dimension without overwhelming the three ouds that remain the conversationâs center.
The Production That Stays Transparent
The recording was conducted in Paris and distributed by Harmonia Mundi. What matters about this production is what it doesnât do. The recording is clear and well focused with preservation of realistic dynamic rangeâno excessive compression destroying the nuance. The skill and expertise of Le Trio Joubran are quite evident, but what is far more low-key is the occasional but excellent contribution by Youssef Hbeish on percussion. The producer understood that these three brothers didnât need enhancement. They needed clarity. They needed space. They needed to be heard exactly as they are.
âMasarâ opens that album like an invitation. The track launches with Samirâs composed melody, simple enough to follow but intricate enough to reward repeated listening. The three brothers arenât playing the same thingâeach brings their own voice to the traditional structure. Thatâs where the mastery sits. Most musicians playing the same instrument would either copy each other or fight. The Joubrans achieved something rarer: conversation. Three ouds speaking three distinct thoughts that somehow create one coherent statement.
Notes About âMasarâ by Le Trio Joubran
Release Date: October 29, 2007 (album)
Duration: Approximately 4:00-4:30
Genre: Arabic Folk / World Music / Traditional Middle Eastern
Album: Majaz (2nd studio album, track 1)
Musicians: Samir Joubran (oud), Wissam Joubran (oud), Adnan Joubran (oud), Youssef Hbeisch (percussion)
Label: Randana / Harmonia Mundi
Engineer: Vincent Bruley
Producer Notes: First track introduces the albumâs exploration of love through Mahmoud Darwishâs poetic lens
Notable Context: Breakthrough track that organically discovered by global audiences
Le Trio Joubran âMasarâ Era Band Details
Album Details
Album: Majaz (meaning metaphor in Arabic)
Release Date: October 29, 2007
Label: Randana / Harmonia Mundi
Producers: Le Trio Joubran
Recording Location: Paris, France
Recording Timeline: 2007
Album Concept: Exploration of love through traditional maqĂąm structure combined with contemporary composition; influenced by Mahmoud Darwishâs poetry and Paco de Luciaâs flamenco
Album Significance: Second studio album establishing the trioâs unique musical identity; represents maturation beyond debut Randana
Critical Reception: Acclaimed as demonstrating increased sophistication and compositional depth while maintaining accessibility
Band Members/Personnel
Samir Joubran - Oud, composition, arrangements (eldest brother)
Wissam Joubran - Oud, luthier (crafted all three ouds) (middle brother)
Adnan Joubran - Oud (youngest brother)
Youssef Hbeisch - Percussion, occasional accompaniment
Vincent Bruley - Engineer
Hatem Joubran - Father, renowned oud maker (cultural/instrumental lineage)
Ibtisam Hanna Joubran - Mother, singer of Muwashshahat (cultural lineage)
Production Notes
First oud trio ever formed, requiring new approach to instrumental interaction and arrangement
Each oud custom-built by Wissam Joubran to match playerâs individual qualities
Traditional maqĂąm structures expanded with contemporary influences from flamenco and modern composition
Recorded with attention to dynamic range preservation rather than commercial compression
Album features primarily instrumental compositions with occasional vocal contributions
Collaboration with poet Mahmoud Darwish conceptually influenced entire album direction
Represents bridge between solo traditions of earlier albums and mature trio voice
Interesting Facts About âMasarâ
The Song That Changed Algorithm Discovery
In an era of algorithmic curation, âMasarâ represents something unusual: a track that stopped people mid-stream and made them ask âWhat is this?â One listener described the exact momentâsearching for music similar to Marcel Khalife on LastFm, half-listening while working, when suddenly something so compelling played that continuing was impossible. They had to find out what it was. They traveled across the country to see the Trio perform live. This is how music discovery used to work. This is how it should work. âMasarâ proved that genuine artistry still breaks through even the most passive consumption patterns.
The songâs construction reflects this inevitability. It begins with deceptive simplicityâjust one oud, one riff. Then another joins. Then the third. With each addition, the complexity builds but the beauty remains accessible. Listeners arenât confused by whatâs happening. Theyâre drawn deeper into it. The track just builds and builds in invention and intensityânot through aggression or volume, but through patient expansion of musical conversation.
The Album That Connected East and West Without Apologizing
Majaz marked a turning point in world music discovery. Western listeners were encountering the oud for perhaps the first time, but not through exoticization. The Joubrans didnât present their instrument as curiosity or cultural artifact. They presented it as an equal to any other tradition. When flamenco influences entered the arrangementsâPaco de Luciaâs fingerprints visible in the composition approachâthis wasnât appropriation. It was acknowledgment that all music comes from somewhere, and tradition lives through conversation, not isolation.
Critics who encountered the album noted something remarkable: âMake no mistake, you do not need to be an Arab to love this music.â This shouldnât have needed saying, but in 2007 it did. Too much âworld musicâ in the Western market was designed for consumption by outsiders, explained and contextualized to death. Majaz just played itself. The Joubrans trusted the listener. That trust was repaid with genuine global discovery. The album found its audience not through marketing but through word of mouthâpeople playing it for friends, the way music discovery actually works when the work speaks clearly enough.
Common Questions
Q: Who are Le Trio Joubran?
A: Le Trio Joubran are three Palestinian brothersâSamir, Wissam, and Adnanâfrom Nazareth, descended from a family of renowned oud makers going back four generations. Formed officially in August 2004, they are the first and only oud trio known to exist, each brother playing the traditional Middle Eastern instrument in conversation with the other two.
Q: What is âMasarâ?
A: âMasarâ is the opening track on Le Trio Joubranâs second album Majaz (2007). The word âmasarâ means âpathâ or âjourneyâ in Arabic. The instrumental composition builds gradually from a single oud melody through the addition of the second and third oud, creating layered conversation between the three brothers while Youssef Hbeischâs percussion provides subtle accompaniment.
Q: What is an oud and why is a trio unusual?
A: The oud is an ancient pear-shaped fretless lute central to Arabic and Middle Eastern music traditions, played since ancient times. A trio of three ouds had never been assembled before the Joubran brothers. Typically, the oud is played as a solo or in mixed ensembles. The Joubransâ innovation of three ouds in conversation created an entirely new sound without precedent in the tradition.
Q: What influenced the Majaz album?
A: The Majaz album was deeply influenced by the poetry of Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, particularly his exploration of love. Samir Joubran composed the pieces based on traditional maqĂąm structures but also incorporated influences from flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia. The result blends traditional Arabic music with contemporary composition and cross-cultural musical dialogue.
Q: How did listeners discover Le Trio Joubran if they werenât marketed heavily?
A: The Trioâs discovery was largely organic and word-of-mouth. âMasarâ became a breakthrough track through music recommendation algorithms and listener sharing on platforms like LastFm. Audiences encountered the music, were moved by it, and shared it with others. The bandâs rigorous touring schedule and collaborationsâparticularly with Mahmoud Darwishâs poetry recitationsâbuilt a dedicated global following over time.