Acclaimed composer, trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist
Amir ElSaffar’s
Rivers of Sound brings together 17 musicians from a broad spectrum of traditions, ranging from Iraqi maqam to American jazz. He is also a practitioner of the endangered Iraqi maqam music, which influences both his playing and his composing.
The music incorporates elements of maqam modal music of the Middle East with jazz and other contemporary practices to create a unique microtonal environment that moves beyond the notions of style and tradition into a realm of uninhibited musical communication.