Taneen Sufi Music Ensemble: Reflections on 30 Years Together
The International Association of Sufism’s Insight Newsletter editorial team, Ashley Werner and Victor Sinow, conducted the following interview with members of the Taneen Sufi Music Ensemble: Soraya Chase Clow, Taher Roybal, Salima Matchette, Salim Matchette, and Sheikh Salman Baruti. The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Insight: Tell us about Taneen’s origins. How did you come together?
Salim: Our Sufi Teachers, Dr. Ali Kianfar and Dr. Nahid Angha, had the wisdom to instruct us to come together as a musical group, using the beautiful translations of Sufi poetry by Dr. Angha.
Salima: Dr. Kianfar gave us the name Taneen. It means “Divine Melody.”
Soraya: We were all invited to become a musical group originally for our Sufi gatherings, but very quickly we began to perform publicly and record our own original songs.
Salima: We were practicing on Friday nights in very long sessions. Our first performance was at the International Association of Sufism’s Sufism Symposium in March 1996.
Insight: How would you describe Taneen’s music?
Soraya: It’s music that springs from the heart of our own practice and is meant to open the heart of others and as an offering to the world. We bring together the heritage of Sufism through the Sufi poets and the translations by our Teacher, Sufi Master Dr. Nahid Angha. We each bring our own inner experience and talents to the space. All the music that we have created has been fully collaborative. One of us might bring an initial melody to the group based on a certain poem, and then we develop that music together, everybody finding their own part. I think that’s one of the things that makes it so unique.
Salim: The heart of it is practice. On a blessed day, when our Teachers are there, there’s a hope it rises to the level of service, because the poetry is so beautiful, so wonderfully translated by Dr. Angha, and such a gift to humanity. Whatever way we can be a vehicle for the poetry and the zikr (Divine remembrance), it is a blessing for us that we even get to participate.
Sheikh Salman: The one word that is coming up for me is healing. In the gatherings, singing together as a group has always been very healing for me, and, Insha’ Allah, other people have also experienced that.
Insight: How has your participation in the group transformed each of you?
Soraya: Taneen taught me about how to have spiritual action in the world, because it’s not about the ego. It’s about polishing our inner being, so that whatever we present is as beautiful and as pure as possible. For me, a fundamental part of this process is learning how to be with other people and to let go of the ego and my ideas in order to be part of something much larger.
Taher: In terms of being transformative for me, it’s an extension of being a member of our Sufi community. I can’t separate Taneen from being a student or going to gatherings. It is a blessing beyond compare, because of the service we get to offer in Taneen. Playing with Taneen, connecting with the message, connecting with the music, with myself, the part I contribute, is beyond words.
Salima: My heart is just completely filled playing together. Especially at Sufi Symposiums, being there on the stage, there is such love in the room. That is fuel. That is nourishment. How can you go wrong? There is no wrong. There is no mistake. We make lots and lots of mistakes, but it doesn’t matter in that big heart.
Salim: I have had the experience when we have performed, with the audience and the Teachers there, that it’s as though we’re a flock of birds. There is a sense of being one, of being united in flight. There is nothing equivalent to it. It is a moment in time, as not just the group, but with the Teachers and the audience. There are those moments where it feels like there’s something else going on here. I think it’s called love. And what incredible transformative moments those are.
Insight: What’s next for Taneen?
Salim: We have selected several songs to record. It’s in process. We are still very active performing at events and retreats in person together, though we live in different places.
Taneen Sufi Music Ensemble was formed in 1995. Taneen’s members have performed extensively across the United States and internationally at events dedicated to interfaith dialogue, peace, spiritual inquiry, and psychology. You can learn more about Taneen and its music here.