Amir ElSaffar Sings Iraqi Maqam & plays Santour

Amir ElSaffar plays santour, an ancient Iraqi instrument (similar to a hammered dulcimer), and sings selections from Maqam Hwayzawi. We talk a little about how the Iraqi Maqam is different from other Arab music repertories, and Amir illustrates with examples from Hwayzawi. We chat about how he got into Iraqi music, his upcoming jazz commission in Philadelphia, and how he got to be so good at English. Amir's new website is:www.amirelsaffar.com For more information on his performance in Philadelphia on March 25th, please visit www.paintedbride.org for details about his performance with Zikrayat in New York on March 16th, please visit www.zikrayatmusic.com