Mark : Fantastic...Arabic music may lack the harmonies of the West, but in its pure form it rocks as well as any other...combine it with Jazz and you got SMOKE!

enajydnab : Thanks so much for the Arabesque series. I'm sorry I don't live in DC, as I would love to catch every event and exhibit in the series. I hope lots of folks in the DC area will have had a chance to do so!

Daketchupman : Loved it!!! He is a true innovator! I like how he reaches out to different musical styles and people from around the world!!! No Limits

David Drukaroff : My mother and I would appreciate equal time mentioning the artistic achievements in Israeli society.

Jim McGay : Great story!! Keep up the great work. I plan to look for Salama music online.

cpp : This series on the Arabesque Arts Festival has been wonderful in not only conveying the beauty of the varied Arab art form but in deepening our awareness of how artistic expression can bring us closer together globally by understanding one another in ways no other avenue can seem to effectively do. Jeffrey Brown is a superb interviewer! NewsHour, thanks so much for running this series!

roadshow : Actually Arabic music doesn't lack the 'harmonies of the West,' it has them but circa the Tre Cento. One could look, even if only for a moment and even if only to make a point, at the development of Western harmonies, the tempered scale, the limitation of modalities to major and minor scales, as a way of removing all of the nasty Arabic, more Turkish from a geopolitical perspective, influence from the culture of the West.

Brenda : Did anyone find his music online? I can't find it at iTunes

Bruce F. : "My mother and I would appreciate equal time mentioning the artistic achievements in Israeli society." Sorry, but the equal time provisions would not appear to cover granting equal time to respond to some that itself barely constitutes granting equal time in the first place. (Oh, right, since we are all so interested in fair and balanceed, of course you approached Access Hollywood for equal time coverage of anything that isn't stupid, right?

Melinda : Saw Fathy Salama on the Newshour ~ wonderful! I could play his music all day long. Such talent and originality!

Riad Gobran : Great program. Well done. I hope the performance at the Kennedy Art Center will be available on DVD for those of us who don't live in DC.

MEB : Another great presentation of a beautiful culture. Art is truly where the world can meet and celebrate in peace and creativity. Brenda, lots of selections on them on YouTube. cpp, I agree, Jeffrey Brown is a superb interviewer. Newshour, thanks so much for Art Beat.

sensate : East meets west is my favorite place for new music right now. If you like this stuff I urge to try these artists. Dhafer Youssef - Mercan Dede - Yazid Fentazi

Pat Vozab : I would like to add to the accolades here for this series of pieces on the Arabesque Arts Festival prepared and reported by Jeffrey Brown. After watching them all now, I am struck by how looking back to the postings made during his January trip to the Middle East actually enhances understanding of the finished works. For example, in one shot we see Mr. Brown standing on a traffic overpass in Cairo looking crisp and professional as usual. Recalling his post of this scene, however, he describes a situation hot and noisy, dangerously close to whizzing vehicles, with a policeman yelling at them to stop filming. In another scene, he mentions a dancer performing in a makeshift studio overlooking the Nile River. Now we are treated to a performance of that dancer's beuatiful work with the lights of the city in the distance. Taken as a whole, the coverage of these artists was so original and intersting. Thank you for this series.

christineS : it is interesting lyrical music indeed. I wish I could hear the volume...barely audible.