Come and enjoy a set of music from MaqamicCon -- a group of nerds gathering together to celebrate their passion of instrumental Arabic music! Expect classic instrumentals, original compositions, samais and tahmilas, and Abdel Wahab favorites.

MaqamicCon Tuesday September 19th 2023 8pm (7:30pm Doors) SISTERS - 900 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11238 $20 Admission

Followed by the monthly Arabic music jam!

Featuring: Johnny Farraj - riq Gideon Forbes - ney Insia Malik - violin John Murchison - qanun Brian Prunka - oud

Taktouka Band 7pm Wednesday September 13th, 2023 Barbes - 376 9th St, Brooklyn, NY 11215 $20 cover

Taktouka Band brings Arab folk music together with electronics and western jazz instruments, creating a mix of old and new sounds and themes. The different legacies of trip-hop, hip hop, and Arabic music enrich and transform each other, bridging cultures, genres, ideas, and communities.

Featuring: Alia Haju: vocals Bashar Farran: bass Daro Behroozi: woodwinds Rema Hasumi: synth Jesse Chevan: drums

Taktouka Band's message: Other people's music gives us new ways to understand the world, and to understand ourselves. We learn about how people deal with struggles, with displacement; about how we find meaning; about finding purpose and freedom. This music album illuminates the Arab cascade of catastrophes via old songs and tales: people seeking refuge in other countries, the recent revolutions. What does a refugee need from a country to lead a fulfilling life? How do we grapple with living in two worlds?

The work redefines old Arab folk songs to both extend their cultural reach and to establish new and different interpretations. It is critical for us to carry this cultural music with us from the Arab world to New York, and to reinterpret it in ways that reflect our lives and the lives of those around us. We transformed Arabic folk with new ways of singing and performing; by challenging some misogynistic lyrics; and by bringing them to new audiences: to make them speak for women’s rights and to the lived experience of an oppressed people.

Habibi Gün Tuesday August 22nd 2023 8pm (7:30pm Doors) SISTERS - 900 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11238 $20 Admission

Habibi Gün showcases the works of revered Arab composers such as Riyad al Sunbati and Mohammed Fawzi alongside Western influences like Ennio Morricone, Link Wray, and that late, great Lebanese-American, Dick Dale. The resulting listening experience is sprawling, evocative, and unique—stark and contemplative one moment, abandoned and trance-inducing the next.

Featuring: Josh Farrar - guitar Gideon Forbes - ney, tenor sax Gabe Lavin - oud, 12-string guitar Insia Malik - violin Phil Mayer - percussion Jeremy Smith - percussion Brian Prunka - organ Sprocket Royer - bass

The musical collective, Habibi Gün, began as a whimsical and wide-ranging pandemic recording project in which guitarist/multi-instrumentalist/arranger/producer Josh Farrar collaborated on an eclectic and elaborate set of cover songs with local Arab and American musicians including: percussionists Gilbert Mansour and Philip Mayer; reedists Gideon Forbes and Daro Behroozi; kanunists John Murchison and Firas Zreik; and trumpeter Kenny Warren.

The current lineup features Mayer (New York Arabic Orchestra, Natalie Merchant), Farrar (Spanish Johnny’s Opera, The Foster Family, Bil Afrah Project) and Forbes (NYAO, Nortonk, Brooklyn Nomads) alongside composer, guitarist, and oudist—though playing organ here—Brian Prunka (Nashaz, Simon Shaheen, NYAO), bassist James “Sprocket” Royer (Souren Baronian, Taqsim, NYAO), violinist Insia Malik (NYAO, National Arabic Orchestra, Bassam Saba, Simon Shaheen), oudist/guitarist Gabe Lavin (NYAO, Near East Ensemble, Naseer Shamma’s Oud Orchestra) and on drum kit, Chris Stromquist (Slavic Soul Party, Frank London, the inspiring Greek Judas). Prunka and Lavin contribute original compositions. Percussionist Rich Stein is Chief Branding Officer. The stylistic range of the compositions —from 60s bellydance to Sun Ra to Black Sabbath and back— keeps both listeners and musicians on their toes. For Farrar, a rock musician who has been immersed in Arabic music for the last decade, and his collaborators, Habibi Gün offers an opportunity to put Western and Middle Eastern genres in conversation with each other, resulting in an idiosyncratic variant of that dirty “f” word - fusion - that is curious, delightful, strange to behold.

Ali Omar El-Farouk at Barbes 7pm Wednesday August 9th, 2023 Barbes - 376 9th St, Brooklyn, NY 11215 $20 cover

In his first ever performance at Barbes, Ali Omar El-Farouk presents a selection of some of his favourite pieces that bring out the spirit and sound of the oud. In an intimate solo performance, Ali will perform a repertoire that includes pieces from the Classical Arabic repertoire as well as compositions by Sayed Darwish, Mohamed Abd El Wahab, Ömer Faruk Tekbilek, and Anouar Brahem. Ali will also present some of his own compositions.

Ali Omar El-Farouk is an Egyptian/Canadian guitarist and oud player from Cairo and Montreal. He is an active performer, teacher and composer with a professional career spanning more than two decades with performances in Egypt, Canada, U.S.A., Turkey, and Spain.

His versatile musicianship is a result of his exposure to western and eastern cultures. He spent years studying jazz music, classical Arabic music, western classical music, and flamenco music. He has worked in jazz groups, rock/blues/pop bands, and Middle Eastern and flamenco ensembles. His performances include many festivals in Montreal and Cairo.

His first album ‘Ela Mataa?’ was recorded in Montreal and released in 2019. He holds a Licentiate degree in Jazz Performance from McGill University’s Schulich School of Music, one of Canada’s top music institutes, and a Bachelor’s degree with Distinction in Jazz Studies from Concordia University in Montreal.

Philip Mayer and Friends Tuesday July 25th 2023 8pm (7:30pm Doors) SISTERS - 900 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11238 $20 Admission

Stick around for the Arabic Music Jam after the set!

Tonights concert will feature an exciting lineup of musicians showcasing the rich and beautiful tradition of 20th century Turkish maqam. With a repertoire full of compositions written by some of the centuries greatest composers, we can expect a night full of expressive melodies and evocative songs about love, life and death.

Featuring: Aslihan Erkisi - voice Adam Good - oud Philip Mayer - percussion John Murchison - kanun Mavrothi Kontanis - violin

Souren Baronian's Taksim 7pm Wednesday July 12th, 2023 Barbes - 376 9th St, Brooklyn, NY 11215 $20 cover

Souren Baronian grew up in Spanish Harlem riding two powerful currents of his creativity: his ethnic Armenian heritage, and jazz. His own music is an authentic organic hybrid of those two idioms. The sound of his band is truly unique, applying a jazz vocabulary and the bebop sensibility of Charlie Parker and Lester Young to Middle Eastern rhythms on traditional instruments such as the oud, kaval, dubek, G-clarinet and dumbek. "Taksim" is a Middle Eastern term meaning improvisation, and inspired improvisation is the home territory of Souren Baronian and his band. The Band has toured all over the world and played many of the top venues including the Montreal Jazz Festival, The Blue Note and Outpost.

Featuring: Souren Baronian - G-clarinet, soprano saxophone, kaval, duduk Adam Good - ud Mal Stein - drums, percussion Paul Brown - double bass

Join us for a summer celebration of love, culture and traditions in Iraqi and Arabic music through Chaabi songs performed by singer Zahra Alzubaidi.

Zahra & Friends Wednesday July 5th, 2023 The Sultan Room - Rooftop - 234 Starr Street, Brooklyn, New York 11237 Doors at 7pm $20 advance, $25 walkup

Maurice Chedid 8pm Tuesday June 27th 2023 8pm (7:30pm Doors) SISTERS - 900 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11238 $20 Admission

Stick around for the Arabic Music Jam after the set!

Maurice Chedid studied at the Lebanese Conservatory of Middle Eastern Music. As a member of the Lebanese Folkloric Group, he toured internationally for four years and has since played the ud and sung in a variety of nightclubs in Lebanon and throughout the world. He recorded an album of bellydance music titled Ya Samara.

Featuring: Maurice Chedid - oud, vocals Zafer Tawil - violin John Murchison - bass Johnny Farraj - riq

Tan Haw 7pm Wednesday June 14th, 2023 Barbes - 376 9th St, Brooklyn, NY 11215 $20 cover

An ensemble of 1+, Tan Haw is a project by Iranian musician and songwriter, Mani Nilchiani and collaborators. Tan Haw blends Iranian folk and classical music with influences from a variety of contemporary genres such as ambient, electronica & psychedelic rock.

Tan Haw’s sound is deeply rooted in the microtonal repertoire of Iranian music (Radif), and borrows from its rich traditional lineage of Improvisation techniques, modal structures, melodic and rhythmic patterns. In orchestration, the Persian Setâr and vocals often take center stage, supported by fretless guitars, synthesizers, samples and live instruments.

Featuring: Mani Nilchiani on the Setâr, Vocals, Fretless guitar, electronics

About Mani: Mani Nilchiani is an Iranian musician and designer based in NYC. In his music, he retraces, explores and retells a story of displacement. His music explores the notion of home as an evolving in-transit space of memory. Born and raised in Tehran, Mani began his studies at a young age with classical violin under maestro Valodia Tarkhanian. Later, he worked in Tehran’s underground music scene as a self-taught guitarist and singer. In 2010 he moved to NYC and in 2013, he graduated from Parsons school of Design with an MFA in Design & Technology. He formed Tan Haw in late 2017 and began releasing music and playing live shows. In 2018 he joined Radif Retreat institute for Iranian classical music where he has been studying the Setâr and working as a teaching assistant with maestro Fared Shafinury. By day, Mani works at the global innovation firm IDEO where he leads interdisciplinary teams of designers to create innovative digital products and services.

Photo by Saman Shami

Megumi Saruhashi Porch Concert - Operation Gig! 4pm-6pm, Saturday June 3rd 2023 Ditmas Park **Exact location announced week of the concert! Free!

Megumi & Friends performs Megumi’s original compositions that are inspired by three places she calls home: New York, Japan and Egypt.

Megumi Saruhashi is a violinist and composer, who grew up around rice paddy fields in seaport city, Funabashi in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Having performed around the globe from Carnegie Hall to refugee camps in the Middle East, Megumi knows no boundary when it comes to performing music. Megumi has embraced her credo “The earth is my home, the sky is my blanket. Wherever I go, I am home”, with three bases she calls home, namely, Japan, New York and Egypt. Megumi has also been active as a soloist with ensembles and orchestras in Cairo, especially with El Manara ensemble. She has frequently appeared at the Cairo Opera House as a guest soloist.

Featuring: Megumi Saruhashi, violin & compositions Adam Good, oud Kuba Cichocki, piano Moto Fukushima, bass Nezih Antakli, percussion

Brooklyn Arts Fund is sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) (@nyculture), administered by Brooklyn Arts Council (@bkartscouncil)

Sami Abu Shumays - Wasla Nairuz Tuesday May 23rd 2023 8pm (7:30pm Doors) SISTERS - 900 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11238 $20 Admission

Stick around for the Arabic Music Jam after the set!

Sami will perform a suite of songs (a wasla) in Maqam Nairuz, a beautiful variety of Maqam Rast. Linking songs by maqam allows for an in depth exploration of that particular mood or musical mode, and is a way to build toward Tarab. This wasla will begin with Syrian muwashshahat, move to Egyptian taqatiq (light songs), and conclude with the popular 19th century Dawr Aslil-Gharam - and will of course include instrumental pieces and improvisations by the master musicians accompanying Sami.

Featuring: Sami Abu Shumays, vocals & violin Ameer Armaly, oud Johnny Farraj, riqq Gideon Forbes, ney

Ameer Armaly and Friends Wednesday May 10th, 2023 Barbes - 376 9th St, Brooklyn, NY 11215 $20 cover

Oud player Ameer Armaly will present a program of songs from the golden age of Arabic music in collaboration with three singers, each with their own vocal and musical style. The program will include songs from Egypt, Syria and Iraq and will showcase some of the many styles of music present in the Arab world. The singers will be accompanied by a takht or traditional small ensemble.

Featuring: Zahra Al Zubaidi - vocals Marwa Morgan - vocals Mohammad Salah Ali - vocals Ameer Armaly - oud Sami Abu Shumays - violin Gideon Forbes - nay Angie Assal - percussion

Born in South Carolina, Ameer Armaly was exposed to Arabic music from an early age through his uncle who played the oud. He then went on to study under oud masters Simon and Najib Shaheen. In 2018, he graduated with a Ph.D in computer science from the University of Notre Dame and currently works for Google where he works on making Android devices more accessible to the blind.

Zafer Tawil Tuesday April 25th 2023 8pm (7:30pm Doors) SISTERS - 900 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11238 $20 Admission

Stick around for the Arabic Music Jam after the set!

New York based Palestinian-American Zafer Tawil is a virtuosic performer on the oud, violin, qanun and a full range of Arab percussion instruments. He has performed with numerous musicians ranging from Sting to Arab music greats such as Simon Shaheen, Chab Mami, and Bassam Saba to avant-garde composer/performer Elliot Sharp, among others. Zafer has composed music for a number of films including the Oscar-nominated Jonathan Demme film Rachel Getting Married.

Co-produced by New York Arab Festival -- www.newyorkarabfestival.com

Souq El-Jum3a at Barbes 7pm, Wednesday April 12th 2023 Barbes - 376 9th St, Brooklyn, NY 11215 $20 cover

Souq El-Jum3a (Friday Market) will perform at Barbes a combination of original compositions and classical songs from their unique repertoire. The audience will enjoy songs, poems, and stories redolent with the scents of the past, yet anchored in the moment of now. Souq El-Jum3a will donate all ticket proceeds to the relief of people affected by the Earthquake in Syria/Turkey.

Featuring: Hussam Jefee-Bahloul - Oud Mohammad Salah Ali - Vocals Ghassan Sawalhi - Percussion Lana Awad: Frame Drum Rami AbuOlaya - Nay

Souq El-Jum3a is a group of immigrant musicians and artists from the Arab world presenting original songs that aspire to preserve the essence of classical Arabic music. The project strives through collaboration of artists through the mediums of song-making and music videos. The name of the project takes its meaning from (Friday Market) which is a spontaneous market (or souq) that assembles weekly on the holy day of Friday in many cities across the Arab world. Souqs where people from all walks of life gather to socialize and market. Artists come to our “souq” to collaborate and create. A modern day “Souq Okaz” for song-making, if you will. The new project has released multiple songs and music videos and performed locally and virtually to fans around the world.

Marwa Morgan Sings Sayed Mekkawy
Tuesday March 21st 2023 8pm (7:30pm Doors) SISTERS - 900 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11238 $20 Admission

Stick around for the Arabic Music Jam after the set!

Marwa Morgan and her ensemble will perform a selection of Sayed Mekkawi's songs that he performed himself and as well as pieces that he composed for well-known singers such as Umm Kolthoum and Warda. The program will span several decades of his work from the fifties and sixties through the nineties, close to the time of his death.

Featuring: Marwa Morgan - vocals Brian Prunka - Oud Johnny Farraj - Percussion John Murchison - Qanoun Sami Abu Shumays - Violin

Sayed Mekkawy (1927-1997) was one of Egypt's most influential composers of the past century. He wrote music for almost all popular singers of his time, including Umm Kolthoum, Warda, Sabah and Laila Mourad. His music touched on almost every topic from politics to economics to culture, and his work with the poet Salah Jaheen, a close friend of his,spoke directly to and about the Egyptian working class.

Influenced by his upbringing in Al-Sayeda Zeinab, a working class neighborhood in Cairo named after a shrine for the prophet Mohamed's grand-daughter, he is most well-known for his folkloric pieces, especially El-Leila El-Kebeera (The Big Night). The 40-minute operette is a funny, expressive musical depiction of the celebration of the last night of the moulid, a festival celebrating the birth of the prophet Mohamed or other religious icons.

The concert will include some of Mekkawi's most iconic music, as well as some of the group's personal favorites.

We are thrilled to be collaborating once again with Robert Browning Associates on another beautiful concert at Roulette featuring vocalist Nibal Malshi!

Nibal Malshi: Women in the Golden Age of Arab Music [RBA] Saturday, March 11, 2023 8:00 pm $30 advance $35 doors $25 Student/Senior (w/ ID, Senior 65+) doors 7:00pm Buy Tickets

This captivating program of Middle Eastern songs features the return visit of the exquisite Palestinian singer Nibal Malshi, who has been noted for her evocative vocals. She graduated from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance and performed with such virtuoso musicians as Simon Shaheen and the National Arab Orchestra under the direction of Michael Ibrahim. She will be joined by an ensemble with artists to be announced shortly. The program features a wide range of selections from the 20th-century classical Arab repertoire of the Levantine – Egyptian region, highlighting songs performed by female singers from Syria, Egypt and Lebanon.

Co-presented by Robert Browning Associates, Lotus Music & Dance, in association with Brooklyn Maqam

Maeandros Ensemble at Barbes 7pm, Wednesday March 8th 2023 Barbes - 376 9th St, Brooklyn, NY 11215 $20 cover

For over 15 years, the members of the Maeandros Ensemble have collaborated in concerts, workshops and recordings to bring old songs from the 78 rpm records of Greece and Turkey back to life, while also featuring original music and arrangements that blend in seamlessly and feature each member's unique talents and background.

Featuring: Lefteris Bournias - clarinet Megan Gould - violin Philip Mayer - percussion Mavrothi Kontanis - oud, guitar & voice

Lefteris Bournias was born in Queens and grew up there as well as in Greece. Lefteris has played the clarinet since age 11, and has performed and recorded with a long list of top performers in the US and abroad. As a diverse musician and composer, Bournias' style combines Greek traditional, Greek and Turkish Roma, Classical, and elements of Jazz (rhythmical and harmonic). With a special sound that emanates from his clarinet, he is a wanted man both live and in the studio.

Megan Gould (violin) is one of NYC's most versatile performers, composers and arrangers of Middle Eastern, Greek and popular music. Her comfort within a wide range of styles, her responsiveness to other musicians on stage, and a soulful improvisational style make Megan a sought-after element in many musical projects, from Natalie Merchant to Broadway shows.

Philip Mayer is a New York City based drummer and percussionist featured alongside Natalie Merchant and in the Broadway musical 'The Band's Visit' which won 10 Tony Awards. Aside from the drum set work, Mayer also loves playing Arabic and Turkish music, a passion which has taken him all over the world.

Mavrothi Kontanis is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer and educator born and raised in the US, but with roots in Halkidiki, Greece. Mavrothi's main instrument is the oud, and his vocal style is inspired by early recordings from Greece and Turkey.

The Music of Hany Mehanna Tuesday February 21st 2023 8pm (7:30pm Doors) SISTERS - 900 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11238 $20 Admission

Stick around for the Arabic Music Jam after the set!

Hany Mehanna is a musician and composer living in Egypt. As a master keyboardist, Mehanna performed alongside Umm Kulthum, Abdel Halim Hafez, and was a member of Al Firka Al Masiya (The Diamond Orchestra). The music performed will be a selection of his compositions for orchestra, film scores, and songs from his 1973 album "The Miracle of the Seven Dances".

Featuring: Mohamed Araki - keyboard Dave Adewumi - trumpet Gideon Forbes - nay Sami Abu Shumays - violin Sarah Mueller - violin Josh Farrar - electric guitar Marwan Allam - bass Johnny Farraj - percussion Philip Mayer - percussion

Nashaz at Barbes 7pm, Wednesday February 8th 2023 Barbes - 376 9th St, Brooklyn, NY 11215 $20 cover

Dubbed “one of New York’s most eclectic, interesting oudists” by NY Music Daily, Brian Prunka’s band Nashaz finds unexpected kinship between jazz and Arabic music, playing original music that stays true to the maqam tradition of the middle east while keeping the spontaneous interplay and energy of jazz at the forefront.

"Nashaz has found that sweet spot between jazz, Arabic rhythms, and traditional Middle-Eastern melodies" (Brooklyn Magazine, "5 Bands You Need to Know in Brooklyn's Arabic Music Scene”)

Featuring: Matt Darriau (reeds) Kenny Warren (trumpet) John Murchison (bass) Philip Mayer (percussion) Chris Stromquist (drums)

Brooklyn Maqam presents George Ziadeh at Sisters Tuesday January 24th 2023 8pm (7:30pm Doors) SISTERS - 900 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11238 $20 Admission

Stick around for the Arabic Music Jam after the set!

Palestinian vocalist and oudist George Ziadeh is one of the most profound performers of tarab in New York City. George is considered an authority in maqam and Arab classical repertoire, known for his deep renditions of material from legendary artists such as Um Kulthum and Mohamed Abdel Wahab.

Featuring: George Ziadeh - vocals, oud Bashar Farran - bass Alber Baseel - percussion

Photo by Shelley Thomas