Shelley Thomas + Brooklyn Takht.

8:00pm - Shelley Thomas + Brooklyn Takht 9:00pm - Open Jam Session Admission: $10 Doors at 7:30pm

Shelley Thomas (vocals, oud) performs exquisite Arabic songs from Egypt accompanied by Marwan Allam (bass), Nezih Antakli (riq) and Zafer Tawil (qanun). This special performance includes rare repertoire from Golden Era singers Nour al Houda, Asmahan, Mohammed Abdel Wahab, Oum Kalthoum and Leila Murad. Romantic poetry and complex song forms such as dawr and qasida pair with intricate microtonal modes (maqamat) to create the richly transportive effect of tarab (musical ecstasy).

This Maqam performance includes a classical Iraqi repertoire of Nazim El Ghazali, Afifa Iskanar, and Wahida Khalil by Iraqi vocalist Zahra Zubaidi.

Born in Iraq, Zubaidi is a New York-based vocalist/actor. She has performed with Safaafir, the only US-based ensemble dedicated to performing the Iraqi Maqam, this year at Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Museum, and, most recently, Roulette. She is a student of Iraqi Maqam under the guidance of renowned Iraqi Maqam master Mr. Hamid Al Saadi.

8:00pm - Zahra Zubaidi - Iraqi Maqam 9:00pm - Open Jam Session Admission: $10 Doors at 7:30pm

Featuring: Zahra Zubaidi - vocals Sami Abu Shumays - violin Omar Dewachi - oud John Murchison - qanun Johnny Farraj - percussion Nezih Antakli - percussion

About Maqam : The maqam is the classical vocal tradition of Iraq and one of the most refined of the many maqam traditions found throughout the Arab and Muslim world. In Iraq, the term maqam refers to highly-structured, semi-improvised, compositions that take years of disciplined study under a master to learn fully. Often rhythmically free and meditative, they are sung to Classical Arabic and colloquial Iraqi poetry, and are followed by light-hearted, rhythmic songs, known as pestaat. http://www.amirelsaffar.com/2012/01/08/about-the-iraqi-maqam/

Palestinian Kanun virtuoso & composer Firas Zreik, will be presenting a set of original compositions that travel between Classical Arabic Maqam & World Jazz in an organic fusion

8:00pm - The Firas Zreik Quartet 9:00pm - Open Jam Session Admission: $10 Doors at 7:30pm

• Kanun: Firas Zreik
• Guitar: Elia Bishara
• Bass: Paul PapaBear Johnson
• Percussion: Gilbert Mansour

Palestinian Kanun Player, Composer & Arranger, born in Haifa in 1995, currently based in New York. Firas received a full-scholarship from the prestigious Berklee College of Music where he studied for five years, graduating with two bachelor degrees in Performance & Jazz Composition with high distinction. He worked, recorded & performed with master musicians and artists from all over the world, including Roger Waters, Shankar Mahadevan, Shreya Goshal, Simon Shaheen, Bassam Saba, Amal Murkus, Fabrizio Cassol, Amir Al-Saffar, Aynur Dogan, Raghu Dixit, Marwan Khoury, Abeer Nehmeh and many more. In addition, he performed all over the United States, Europe & the Middle East, both as a Kanun player and as a musical director in some of the most prestigious venues and festivals such as Boston Symphony Hall, Lincoln Center-NY, Carthage International Festival – Tunisia, Savannah Music Festival, Institut de Mont Arabe – Paris, Teatro Mediterraneo – Napoli, Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, Smithsonian Museum – Washington DC, Palais des Congrès - Belgium, Berklee Performnce Center, The Jazz Gallery - NY & many more. His mother, Amal Murkus is a leading Palestinian singer of international renown. Firas is the musical director of her band, he also recorded on her latest album, in addition to writing and composing many of her recent songs. The two have toured together in Europe, USA & the Middle East and are currently working on new albums.