Amir ElSaffar and Rivers of Sound Orchestra Perform at the University of Michigan: Performance Blends Middle Eastern Music with American Jazz

posted on: Oct 4, 2017

On Wednesday, October 18 at 7:30 pm, Amir ElSaffar brings his Rivers of Sound Orchestra to the University of Michigan, Power Center stage, for a performance that blends aspects of Middle Eastern music with American jazz. Then two nights later, Saffar and members of his group provide live music for classical Indian dance company Ragamala, which performs their large-scale multi-disciplinary production called Written in Water.

Iraqi-American trumpeter, santur player, vocalist, and composer ElSaffar is an expert practitioner of both jazz and Iraqi maqam. His Rivers of Sound Orchestra showcases 17 musicians from a broad spectrum of traditions, including Western classical instruments alongside oud, jowza, mridangam, buzuq, and dumbek. This transcultural approach combines improvisation and composition in a novel soundscape, melting away borders as performers and audience members revel together in the music.

ElSaffar’s Rivers of Sound Orchestra includes the following members:

Amir ElSaffar, trumpet and santur
Carlo DeRosa, acoustic bass
Aruán Ortiz, piano
Dena ElSaffar, violin and jowza
Fabrizio Cassol, alto saxophone
George Ziadeh, oud and vocals
Jason Adasiewicz, vibraphone
JD Parran, bass saxophone and clarinet
Miles Okazaki, guitar
Mohammed Saleh, oboe and English horn
Naseem AlAtrash, cello
Nasheet Waits, drums
Ole Mathisen, tenor saxophone and soprano saxophone
Rajna Swaminathan, mridangam
Tareq Abboushi, buzuq
Tim Moore, percussion, dumbek, and frame drum
Zafer Tawil, percussion and oud

For more information or to purchase tickets Click Here.