Rachid Taha with Brian Eno (guest Mick Jones from the Clash)

27 November 2005 at the Astoria in London (now buried beneath Cross Rail's new station at Tottenham Court Road). I helped organise this gig for the Stop the War Coalition with Rachid's UK manager, Rikki Stein. What a night! And what a great surprise when Mick Jones turned up to join them for 'Rock the Casbah'. And we raised some serious money for the anti-war movement.  Music has been an important part of my life: the Pavarotti and Friends concerts, the daily events that took place at the Pavarotti Music Centre, music workshops in Sarajevo and Mostar, smuggling Island Records Bob Marley exhibition into war-torn Mostar, organising gigs for Stop the War. And I have seen music change the lives of others around me. Greetings to all the great musicians you will come across in Left Field - Oha, Teo, Eugene, Senad Suta, Atilla Aksoj, Dubioza Kolektiv, Siktar, Mostar Sevdah Reunion, Deicola Neves,  EM, Paul Belben and so many others. Enjoy 'Rock the Casbah'

Mostar Sevdah Reunion

"I never got the chance to thank you for all your support and kindness in the process of the creation of Mostar Sevdah Reunion. Our lives have changed thanks to you, Eugene Skeef and Music Center Pavarotti … without you – no Mostar Sevdah Reunion, no me as a producer, no sevdah on the World Music map … I hope that one day, city of Mostar will officially recognize your priceless contribution to the town itself. In a meantime, I will do it for myself! Thank you for your kindness, humanity, love and vision." Dragi Šestić, music producer ( Listen to Mostar Sevdah Reunion )