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Rabih Abou-Khalil Group

Rabih Abou-Khalil is a wanderer between cultures. The oud virtuoso and composer, born in Lebanon and now living in France after a long stay in Germany, combines traditional Arabic music, European classical music and American jazz into a highly intelligent melange, far removed from any world music clichés. Unbiased, with an alert mind, a high level of playful and compositional competence and a good sense of humour, he succeeds in merging the musical worlds in an extraordinary way. His complex compositions combine Arabic cadences and scales, as well as distinctive improvisations. The result is an immensely fresh music – fascinatingly complex, thrillingly brilliant and highly sensual. Rabih Abou-Khalil has already played with jazz greats such as Charlie Mariano or Kenny Wheeler, but also with symphony orchestras and top-class new music ensembles, including the Ensemble Modern, the Balanescu Quartet, the Kronos Quartet, the ARTE Quartet and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Rabih Abou-Khalil has won many awards – among others, he was awarded five German Jazz Awards in 1999 alone and in 2002 he received an honorary certificate for the German Record Critics’ Prize for his complete works. At the asphalt Festival, Rabih Abou-Khalil will perform with his quartet of the same name and has invited Elina Duni as a special guest. The fantastic singer with Albanian roots combines in her music the sounds of Albania with timeless jazz ballads, French chansons and American folk songs.

Rabih Abou-Khalil: oud (Arabian short-necked lute)
Elina Duni: vocals
Mateusz Smoczynski: violin
Krzysztof Lenczowski: violoncello
Jarrod Cagwin: percussion