Rachid Halihal

Artist’s biography for Rachid Halihal:
As a world-class musician, Rachid Halihal brings to
the community the true character and spirit of musics
from the classical Egyptian repertoire which is much loved
throughout the Middle East from the Fertile Crescent from diverse
regions of Morocco and North Africa and also the mezmerizing music of
the Arabian Gulf. As a child, growing up in Fez, Morocco, Rachid played
the nei and sang, imitating the famous singers of the time.
At age fourteen he entered "Dar Aadyil" the Conservatory of Music in Fez. At first he studied Western classical and Andalus music on piano and violin. He soon expanded to include a variety of other instruments in order to
better express his native music.
In addition to his voice, which is best featured in the Andalus style, his strongest instruments are the oud (similar to a lute without frets) and the violin, which he plays in both the classical manner and upright resting on the knee for Moroccan folkloric music.
In Summer 2004 Rachid toured the USA with The Chicago Classical Oriental Ensemble playing Moroccan Andalus music with Abdelfattah Bennis, including Genesis at the Crossroads Festival in Chicago. He was
presented at Columbia University in concert with visiting Israeli singer, Michel Cohen,
with Moroccan singer Pinhas in New York and Miami, as well as other ethnic
concerts and events throughout New York City.
In 2003-4, Rachid was presented with his band at Denver's Global Groove
World Music Festival, with Nawang Kechong in Aspen, in two separate
Mid-East Dance concerts at the Boulder Theater, Colorado, with
Souhail Kaspar in Denver, Boulder, Portland, and Los Angeles.
Rachid also played at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
for the inaugural King Tut exhibit in the US on June 15,05.
In Summer of '05 Rachid toured the USA and
Canada with Rachid Taha (Algerian/French)
Rai-rock band.

Visit Rachid's site.

Daphna Mor         


Graduated as the valedictorian of her class in the Boston Conservatory of Music for recorder performance.
She plays all size recorders from the sopranino to bass recorder. Steeped in the Rennaissance and Baroque, she brings with her the precision and fluidity of a classical musician, but the inventiveness and improvisational skills of a world street musician.
In that spirit, over the last three years she has also included in her wind collection, the snakecharming sounds of the crumbhorn, the turkish outdoor party instrument, the Zurna, the melodica, and is presently studying the classical Arabic flute, the ney.
She helped found the all women New Amsterdam recorder trio, travels throughout Europe performing classical music, leads musical programs at the esteemed Metropolitan Museum, and is part of the musical ensemble which plays at B'nai Jeshurun on Friday nights.


Visit Daphna's site.

Brahim Fribgane

Fast establishing himself as a major force in the music scene today. Born and raised in Morocco, a country rich in musical traditions, Brahim grew up surrounded by North African, Gnawa, Berber, Arabic and Andulusian music. By 16 he was playing guitar at weddings and parties in Casablanca, becoming a significant contributor to the development of a new style of Moroccan pop that took hold in the early 80s. Greatly influenced by the Iraqi musician, Munir Bechir, Brahim began playing oud, an instrument also played by Brahim's older brother.
Brahim's oud style, whether he's playing folkloric Berber songs, beautifully complex and soulful Arabic music, or the fusion of jazz, samba, reggae or Indian, reveals his openness to all music and appreciation of all people and cultures. When Brahim arrived in New York City in the late 80s and picked up a doumbek (a traditional North African/Middle Eastern drum), he discovered in himself a natural talent with percussion instruments that seems to know no bounds. A remarkably creative and diverse musician, Brahim takes the doumbek to new levels, expressing the rhythmic complexities of a drum set with this one instrument. He alternately blends and contrasts rhythms while at the same time keeping his listeners and fellow musicians rhythmically secure.



Visit Brahim's site.

Uri Sharlin

Since his arrival to New York in 1999 accordionist pianist and composer Uri Sharlin has become an established “world “musician. His knowledge of both Western and Middle Eastern music feeds his unique composition style, expressed in various projects among them Anistar, Kaiku, Sul/Norte, Ayyub, and many others. His own band the Cardamon Quartet released their first album in 2005, which was warmly received by the critics. Recently, Uri spent an extended period in Brazil learning various styles on accordion and percussion. Among the very few quarter tone accordionists in America, Uri becomes a musician's musician in various fields of music...



Visit Uri's site.

Bruno Bruzzese

Bruno Bruzzese Bruno has excited audiences with his violin playing across the USA, Canada and Europe performing many styles of music from folk to jazz. He has developed a passion for Middle Eastern music; finding it to be the perfect mode for expressing that intensity and emotion which is the trademark of his playing.

David Buchbut

"Musical virtuosity and cultural integration are serious endeavors. Watching Buchbut is salutary for both. As he practices this example of a shared heritage a combination of simple movements belies the tumblingly beautiful outcome" - Dan Friedman, Forward.com
Born to a Moroccan parentage, he grew up listening to Middle-Eastern music. He studied with master percussionists Glen Velez, Zohar Fresco, Michel Merhej and Raquy Danziger. David has played and formed a Moroccan band, Layali El Andalus, with oud master Rachid Halihal and toured with Yair Dalal, an Iraqi Israeli world-famous composer and virtuoso of the Arab lute (Oud), David has played in Venues such as MOMA, Lincoln Center and Harbourfront Center in Toronto.

Daniel Freedman

Drummer and Percussionist Daniel Freedman was born in New York City and grew up in a musical family. In high school he studied with Max Roach, Billy Higgins, Vernel Fournier and later traveled to study with master drummers in West Africa and Cuba. He has played and recorded with artists such as Tom Harrell, Wynton Marsalis, Slide Hampton, Roy Hargrove, Claudia Acuna, Omar Faruk and Toumani Diabate.

His record "Trio" (www.cdbaby.com/cd/freedmantrio)with Jason Lindner and Omer Avital and guests Myron Walden, Joshua Levitt and Tomer Tzur, on the Fresh Sound label received nine stars in Modern Drummer Magazine and he was recently featured in the same magazine in the article "Jazz Lions".

Daniel currently tours primarily with the band Third World Love and has produced and engineered music for three releases on John Zorns' Tzadik record label as well as music for television and film.