As clarinet virtuoso Kinan Azmeh sees it, the ancient sounds of Arabic music never get old.
BY ROGER LEVESQUE, EDMONTON JOURNAL – “In our music there is always a continuum between the old and the new, between the traditional and the contemporary,” he explains. “But I don’t really see the differences. It’s not like we’re on a mission to re-promote this musical heritage. We’re just keeping our minds and ears and eyes wide open to the vocabulary we use on a daily basis.”
Azmeh was raised in Damascus, Syria before he went to study at New York’s Juilliard school. Today he plays with western chamber music groups, jazz musicians and folkloric groups on tour around the world.
The clarinetist is here performing new original compositions and improvisations in a series of workshops and concerts this weekend as a co-leader of the unique ensemble, New Sounds From Arab Lands.
via Preview: Edmonton concerts celebrate ancient sounds of Arab music.
Related: I am a Bird from Heaven’s Garden – Music, Sound, and Architecture in the Muslim World conference
Sponsored by Aga Khan Trust for Culture & Aga Khan University – Three Day Celebration of Music, Sound, Architecture and Gardens
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