Basel Rajoub, saxophone; Jasser Haj Youssef, viola d’amore; Feras Charestan,
qanun
Composed by Basel Rajoub
“Tashkent” was inspired by Rajoub’s first visit to that city, which is the capital of
Uzbekistan, where he found “sunshine, peace, and the smell of home.” Said
Rajoub, “I walked your streets and found this sound. I salute you.”
Basel Rajoub is a saxophonist and composer-improviser whose inspirations include
traditional Middle Eastern rhythms and melodies as well as jazz. Born in Aleppo, Syria,
he graduated from the Damascus High Institute of Music and creates new music that
brings together musicians from the Middle East, North Africa, Asia, and Europe. A
winner of Radio Monte Carlo’s Moyen-Orient Music Award, Basel Rajoub divides his
time between performing, teaching, composing, and recording. Currently based in Geneva, Basel performs as a member of several ensembles, and is the founding member of the Soriana Project.
Feras Charestan is from the city of Al-Hasakeh, in the northeast of Syria, and studied
qanun at the High Institute of Music in Damascus. He has performed as a qanun soloist
with symphony orchestras and has been a member of popular bands as well as
contemporary music ensembles, creating new music rooted in Middle Eastern traditions.
Feras Charestan currently lives in Stockholm, Sweden.
Jasser Haj Youssef was born in Monastir, Tunisia and studied both classical European
music and classical Arabic music (maqām) from an early age. His first instrument was
the violin. Later he began playing the Baroque viola d’amore, which has sympathetic
string that are not bowed, but create a rich, resonant sound. Haj Youssef’s professional
career has merged his interests and talents in the improvisatory art of maqām, classical
chamber and orchestral music, jazz, and world music.