Composer, trumpeter, santur player, vocalist Amir ElSaffar merges musical traditions of the Middle East with jazz and contemporary music, creating a unique musical style that has been described as "wise to many traditions, even while it remains accessible to anyone” (Pitchfork Magazine). ElSaffar leads the six-piece Two Rivers Ensemble, merging Iraqi Maqam music with contemporary jazz, as well as the 17-piece Rivers of Sound Orchestra, which builds on these concepts with a wider orchestrational palette, including microtonal piano and vibraphone, Arabic string instruments, woodwinds, brass, Arabic and Indian percussion. ElSaffar has composed for chamber ensembles, symphony orchestras, jazz and middle eastern ensembles. He has also made forays into Flamenco music, leading the project, Luminiscencia, combining Flamenco voice and dance with Arabic maqam and electronics, as well as Gnawa music of Tunisia in a project called TRANSE. Please subscribe here to keep up to date.