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Salon Joussour - an introduction to Arabic music
Concert | Saturday 14 December

Forget about the end-of-year stress for a little while and immerse yourself in the mesmerizing sounds and tastes of the Middle East with our 'Salon Joussour' concert featuring the much praised Lebanese singer Rima Khcheich and top musicians like Tony Overwater and Rembrandt Frerichs. The concert will take place against a backdrop of the beautiful Taffeh temple in the National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden.

Classical Arabic music is a world of passion, poetry, nuances and details. Yet, the background, the instruments and the musical language remain an uncharted territory, for most people, despite the increasing interest in Arabic creativity among artists, musicians and the public in general. Salon Joussour crafts a bridge bonding Arabic and European ingenuity, through connecting renowned Dutch musicians with musical guests from the Arab world.

After a series of very successful concerts in The Hague, '400 Years of Arabic in Leiden' and the National Museum of Antiquities are delighted to host this Special Edition of Salon Joussour to celebrate 400 years of Arabic in Leiden. Through a short lecture led by a master musician from the Arab world, followed by a concert, we aim to unlock the essence of this wonderful art form.

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Background

Salon Joussour is an initiative of Edison and Boy Edgar Award-winning bass player Tony Overwater. He explains his reasons for starting Salon Joussour as follows:

"During my travels throughout the Middle East, my connection with Arab artists and collaboration with prominent musicians, I discovered that the amount of  real exchange has been quite small. Most collaborations were often superficial; western music with an oriental edge (Oriental Jazz) or Arabic music with Western chords. It's like trying Arabic cuisine without the spices. What makes the music really special is left out because it is too complex ... or likely it seemed to be too complex. My goal is to let the European audience, artists and musicians, become acquainted with the sophisticated and highly developed culture that has been fascinating me for more than ten years. "

Program

To familiarize the audience to the differences between Arabic and European music (scales, instruments, etc), the concert will be preceded by a 30 minute introduction by the musicians, followed by a break during which you are served drinks and a few Arabic hors d'oeuvres.

We expect the concert end at around 21.30 hrs.

date Saturday 14 December 2013
time 19.00 hrs (doors open at 18.30 hrs)
venue Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Templehall, Rapenburg 28, Leiden

tickets
-Tickets are Euro 10 each (incl. Arabic snacks and drinks)

- For questions, please contact us

ONLINE TICKETS ARE SOLD OUT.

A LIMITED NUMBER OF TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR OF THE MUSEUM.
SALE STARTS SATURDAY 14 DECEMBER AT 18.30 HRS.
UNFORTUNATELY WE CAN ACCEPT CASH ONLY.

This concert is sponsored by

Musicians

This Special Edition of Salon Joussour features:

• Rima Khcheich, vocals
  
• Ahmad Al Khatib on ud
• Youssef Hbeisch on percussion
• Michalis Cholevas on tarhu
• Tony Overwater on double bass
• Rembrandt Frerichs on piano

An earlier edition of Salon Joussour, with Rima Khcheich but different musicians

Rima Khcheich

Rima Khcheich, born in Khiam, Lebanon, in 1975. She started her career as a singer of classical Arabic repertoire since her childhood. She has been working with Tony Overwater for over 15 years on developing a contemporary form of classical Arabic music. One of her specialties is Muwashahat. An Arabic musical style, that originated in Andalusia. She teaches at the American University in Beirut and in the USA with composer and musician Simon Shaheen at the Mount Holyoke College as part of the Arabic Music Retreat program.

Read an interview with Rima Khcheich in the Dutch classical music magazine Luister

Admad Al Khatib

Ud player Ahmad Al Khatib was born in Jordan in 1974, to a Palestinian refugee family. He was mentored by the Palestinian Ahmad Abdel Qasem, before he studied cello at the Jordanian Yarmouk University. After graduating he moved to Ramallah in Palestine, where he joined the Oriental music department at Edward Said National Conservatory. In 2002, Al-Khatib was forced to leave Palestine due to the political situation. He settled in Sweden, where he studied methodology at the University of Gothenburg.
Al-Khatib performs regularly in Europe and the Middle East. His most recent project is a Double Duo with UK-based Ud player Khyam Allami in addition to percussionists Youssef Hbeisch  and Andrea Piccioni.

Youssef Hbeisch

Youssef Hbeisch is an Arab percussionist of Palestinian origin, who developed contemporary ways of playing and combining complex Arabian rhythms.
He  plays along some of the most prominent musicians in the Arab region and beyond: Simon Shaheen (Ud player), Süleyman Erguner (Ottoman and Sufi music), Aka Moon (modern jazz), Ibrahim Maalouf (fusion), Bratsch (gypsy , balkan), the Oriental Music Ensemble (classical oriental) and Trio Joubran. He also forms a duo with Ahmad Al Khatib.
Hbeisch studied music and philosophy at the University of Haifa. He now lives in Paris.

Michalis Cholevas

Michalis Cholevas is a Greek multi-instrumentalist musician playing Ney, Saz, Yayli Tanbur and its descendant, the Tarhu. His path starts in Athens, Greece where he studied Byzantine, Jazz and Eastern Mediterranean music traditions.
At the age of 30s he moved to the Netherlands to follow a Master’s program in Turkish Music at Rotterdam World Music Academy where he now works as the Head of Studies.
Michalis studied with Ömer Erdoğdular, Kudsi Ergüner and Erdal Erzincan and he specializes in the eastern mediterranean modal music traditions. He has collaborated with several artists including the Oscar award winner Angelo Badalamenti, Kudsi Ergüner, Apollo Musagette Quartet, Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra, the George Kontrafouris Jazz trio and Louisiana Red.

Rembrandt Frerichs

Rembrandt Frerichs is one of the most prominent Dutch jazz pianists. He emerged in the Netherlands with his own trio, during the past few years. Yet, his work extends to playing regularly with musicians from the Middle East through the Kepera Trio and Levantasy.

www.rembrandtfrerichs.com

Tony Overwater

Bassist Tony Overwater, has been involved in the Arabic musical scene for over 15 years. His love for the music makes him an enthusiastic advocate of this genre. He won the podium prize 1989, the VPRO Boy Edgar Award in 2003 and an Edison for his cd OP. Tony Overwater has been one of the most prominent jazz musicians in the Netherlands for over 25 years.

www.tonyoverwater.com