The album comprises a live recording of Reem's concert at the Tabernacle, London W11, on 22 November 2012, and it consists of two CD's, with almost 80 minutes of playing time. The songs which Reem performed on the night encompassed old favourites from her 2006 classic "Sprinting Gazelle: Palestinian Songs from the Motherland and the Diaspora", as well as several presentations from her on-going project on the great Egyptian composer Sayyid Darwish (1892-1923). Reem's set also included new Palestinian songs, plus her rendition of a popular Tunisian anthem. Three of the songs are Reem's compositions; all are her arrangements. Reem's band at the Tabernacle concert included a Jazz rhythm section comprising Bruno Heinen on piano, Ryan Trebilcock on double bass and Antonio Fusco on drums and percussion. The concert also featured a guest appearance by the acclaimed Palestinian musician Tamer Abu Ghazaleh on 'oud. Alongside the aural experience of this memorable concert, Reem has, in keeping with the standards she set herself on her debut album, provided in the 60-page booklet detailed historical and musicological notes on each song, plus the lyrics, in Arabic and translated into English (under the supervision of Palestinian poet and literary historian Salma Khadra Jayyusi). There is also a glossary of musical and cultural terms. Each CD includes a PDF of the album booklet, which can be opened on your computer. The first CD also includes a short promotional film by the Venezuelan filmmaker Ignacio Crespo Valdez, in which Reem talks about her music and about the making of this album. Manchester-based Adam Orton provided the animation for the 'sprinting gazelle' motif on the promotional video. The second CD includes a specially edited excerpt from the French film-maker, Axel Salvatori-Sinz's award-winning documentary film "Les Chebabs de Yarmouk", for which Reem composed the title music "Yarmouk". The lyrics of the song were penned by Iyad Hayatleh, the Glasgow based Palestinian poet and son of Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus. "[Reem Kelani's] off-mic introduction turned out to be an endearingly apt overture to a performance in which she combined restless energy with vigorous political engagement, persuasive audience involvement and an illustrated, impressively far-reaching musicological dissertation." Rob Adams, The Herald Scotland, January 2016.
