Amir Elsaffar

This album has been two years in the making. Amir ElSaffar composed the music during a residency at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in October 2019, and in December convened all 17 members for rehearsals in New York and a four day recording session at Sound on Sound Studios in New Jersey. Initially, the album was going to be released in April 2020, supported by a two week tour of the United States, but plans were of course canceled due to the pandemic.

“While quarantining last summer, I spent a month mixing the album remotely with the legendary sound engineer, Ron Saint Germain. We then sent the recording to Scott Hull at Masterdisk, who mastered the record. The gorgeous painting featured on the cover was created by the incomparable Amina Ahmed, whose work is also featured on the first Rivers of Sound album, Not Two.

PERSONNEL:

• Jason Adasiewicz - vibraphone
• Tareq Abboushi - buzuq
• Naseem Alatrash -cello
• Fabrizio Cassol - alto saxophone
• Carlo De Rosa - acoustic bass
• Amir ElSaffar - trumpet, santur, vocal
• Dena El Saffar - violin/joza
• John Escreet - piano
• Ole Mathisen - tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone
• Tim Moore - dumbek, naqqarat, frame drums
• Miles Okazaki - guitar
• JD Parran - bass saxophone, clarinet
• Mohamed Saleh - oboe, English horn
• Rajna Swaminathan - mridangam
• Zafer Tawil - oud, nay
• Nasheet Waits - drums
• George Ziadeh - oud

TRACKS:

• 01. Dhuha
• 02. Transformations
• 03. Reaching Upward
• 04. Ashaa
• 05. Concentric
• 06. Lightning Flash
• 07. March
• 08. Medmi