Bahur Ghazi’s Palmyra serve up stunning debut

Bahur Ghazi is a renowned composer and oud-player from Syria. He was taught by the oud-maestro Naseer Shamma in Iraq, and he has taught himself at the Bait al Oud al Arabi school in Cairo. Driven by the sad recent events in that part of the world, he has found a refuge in Switzerland. The extent of his openness to new experiences can be gauged by the fact that he has toured and recorded recently with the psychedelic rock band One Sentence. Supervisor.

Bahur Ghazi’s Palmyra is a strikingly original musical experiment. The band brings together Ghazi’s virtuoso oud skills with Swiss jazz accordionist Patricia Draeger, pianist Christoph Baumann, and the Sisera brothers, Luca and Dario, on upright bass and drums. The resulting album “Bidaya” is an artistically hugely and joyfully successful attempt at forging a musical language that is informed both by the long history of Ghazi’s home country, and his experiences in a new European environment.

“Bidaya” was released on 2 March by the German label Jazzhaus Records.

Bahur Ghazi’s Palmyra
Jazzhaus Records