FARIS ISHAQ at Palestine Museum & Cultural Centre, 27 Broad Street, Old City, Bristol BS1 2HG
See event details

A gig on Friday 3rd May. The event starts at 19:30.


Big Bromo Promotions,
in association with PalMusic UK
and the Palestine Museum & Cultural Centre Bristol,
presents:

FARIS ISHAQ
Haunting, contemplative, and irresistible reed-flute music.

A Diaspora! Festival 2024 event.
A solidarity concert for Palestine.

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Faris Ishaq: nay, percussion

The enchanting sound of one of the oldest instruments in the world, the Egyptian nay reed-flute, echoes into the air of the historic building that hosts the Palestine Museum & Cultural Centre (the only one in Europe).

The playing of renowned Palestinian nay master Faris Ishaq is extraordinarily beautiful. The compositions are exquisite, be they playful, languorous or nostalgic, contemporary or traditional. Self-accompanied by leg-percussion and frame drums, Faris' immediately beguiling and approachable sound world is full of character and emotion.

'Performance artistry... a layered composition of melodic, percussive, cinematic, psychedelic, almost electronic sounding musical layers and effects.'
Flute View

Plus:
Faris Ishaq in conversation about 'art as resistance' in a time of conflict; and readings of poetry from Gaza, including the works of Ibrahim Yaghi, bearing witness to, and holding onto humanity in the face of, atrocity.

'Every beautiful poem is an act of resistance.'
Mahmoud Darwish (1941-2008), Palestinian poet and author,
regarded as Palestine's national poet.

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Global jazz flautist, composer, poet, and music therapist Faris Ishaq is known for his virtuosity on the ancient Middle-Eastern nay reed-flute, and his evocative and improvisational artistry. In a unique instrumental setting, he plays the nay while simultaneously accompanying himself on leg-percussion and frame drums.

While honouring his Palestinian cultural heritage, Faris' pioneering sound fuses jazz, Indian classical music, and other global music traditions, stretching the musical expression of the nay from melodic to percussive and harmonic sounds.

Faris is from Beit Sahour in the Occupied West Bank. He graduated from the 'Global Jazz Master' programme at Berklee College Of Music in Boston in 2018, has collaborated with world-class musicians including John Patittuci, Adnan Joubran, and Danilo Pérez, and has performed at major world and jazz music festivals, including the London, Panama, and Monterey Jazz Festivals. In 2021, he received the recognition of the International Jazz Day organisation, becoming the first musician to present Palestine at this global event.

Faris has produced three albums, including 'NAY: Nature Addresses You' (2021) and, in 2023, featured on Danilo Pérez’s Grammy-nominated album 'Crisálida'.

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Diaspora! is a new arts festival for Bristol and the South West, presented by the Diverse Artists Network (DAN). Taking place from 3-6 May 2024, this four-day, multi-venue event platforms and celebrates the wide variety of talent reflected in the region's underrepresented cultural communities. [diverseartistsnetwork.com/diaspora]

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Big Bromo Promotions [hdfst.uk/big-bromo-promo] in association with PalMusic UK [palmusic.org.uk], the Palestinian Museum & Cultural Centre Bristol [palmuseumbristol.org] and Cotham Club Bristol [hdfst.uk/cotham-club].

Big Bromo Promotions is a cultural organisation that brings people together through music, producing industry-leading live music events, creative engagement projects, and talent development schemes. PalMusic is the UK ambassador organisation for the Edward Said National Conservatory Of Music in Palestine. It provides musical education of the highest quality to young Palestinians, raises the profile of Palestinian musicians in the international community, and showcases Palestinian music and talent in the UK. The Palestine Museum & Cultural Centre Bristol is the only Palestine museum in Europe (founded 2013). Its permanent exhibition of Palestinian heritage, culture and daily life seeks to educate, inform and communicate the story of Palestine and its people and to give a voice to Palestinians living inside and outside Palestine. Cotham Club Bristol is a brilliant, eclectic, monthly live global music club with a passion for community at its core.

Entry requirements: no age restrictions

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