Qantara Berklee: Zafir
Simon Shaheen
Image courtesy of the artist
Qantara Berklee Ensemble performs a program bringing various musical traditions by fusing Arab musical heritage with the contemporary sensibilities of postmodern jazz. The music of Qantara Berklee allows different styles of performance and improvisation to stand out while providing a musical structure that goes beyond the stylistic boundaries. Musicians in the ensemble work on challenging musical arrangements and various styles of improvisational skills that are based on harmonic progression, free style, and "maqam"-microtonal expression. It is reasonable to describe "Qantara Berklee" as a distinctive example of an organic, cross-cultural mélange of influences.