HIJAZ IN CONCERT
Organisation: Arts Canteen
Time: 28 May 2011 7:00pm -
Place: Union Chapel, London N1
Arts Canteen Presents:
HIJAZ IN CONCERT
Hijaz are a Belgium-based seven-piece jazz fusion group with a warm melodic and distinctly cosmopolitan sound. They have been carving out a name for themselves on the continent since the launch of their first album three years ago, and this is the first chance for UK audiences to catch the group in concert here.
Their original sound, built around the ‘oud and the piano, is a heady mix of musical influences drawn from the Maghreb, the Middle East and Europe. It reflects the origins of the group itself – comprising musicians from Tunisia, Morocco, Armenia and around Europe. Hijaz will feature tracks from their excellent new album Chemsi, which follows up the success of their first (2008) album, Dunes. One critic has described the feel of Chemsi as “tender and spicy, ethereal and profound”.
Saturday 28 May 2011 | 19:00
Union Chapel
Compton Terrace
Islington
London
N1 2UN
TICKETS: £20 | BOOK ONLINE
For more information contact Arts Canteen on:
E: info@artscanteen.com
ABOUT HIJAZ
Hijaz was formed in 2004, and sprung from the collaboration between Tunisian master oud player Moufadhel Adhoum and Greek-Belgian pianist Niko Deman. Hijaz is a marriage of the piano, this great instrument from the Western musical tradition, with the stringed instrument that has become synonymous with the Middle East, the oud. When imagining the oud outside the Arab world, one immediately thinks of the two contemporary masters of the instrument: the jazzy and poetic Anouar Brahem and the virtuoso, avant-gardistic Rabih Abou-Khalil. Tunisian oud player Moufadhel Adhoum manages to bring the virtuosity of Khalil and the subtle poetry of Brahem together in a highly individual and contemporary interpretation.
Pianist Niko Deman first played rebetiko on the bouzouki, influenced by his Greek mother. But his interest in jazz kept growing, so he went to study at the Antwerp Conservatory. With this ample background, he skilfully evokes the crossroads between these genres and traditions.
The dialogue between the oud and the piano is masterfully supported by the light and fluid playing of Moroccan percussionist Azzedine Jazouli and Belgian drummer Chryster Aerts. Bass player Vincent Noiret provides a rock solid foundation. Together they form an adventurous and imaginative rhythm section, citing rhythms from the traditions of Morocco to India, on top of which the oud and piano weave their sonic tapestry. The music virtually transports you to a quiet patio in a Mediterranean city, at a stone's throw of the busy Medina.
Their debut CD Dunes was widely acclaimed by the audience and the press. On some of the tracks, the quintet was supported by Armenian duduk player Vardan Hovanissian, who has since then become the indispensable sixth member of the group.
Listen to Hijaz tracks on myspace.