Mazaj album launch
Mazaj ensemble launched their first album, “Voyage”, in January, with concerts on 25th in the Yabous Cultural Centre in Jerusalem, and 27th in the ESNCM hall in Ramallah.
Mazaj was established in 2014 by five young Jerusalemite musicians. The lineup and repertoire is a fusion of Western and Arab music, reflecting the many global influences that have left their mark in Palestinian culture. The band members are Jiries Boullata (piano), Miral Khoury (qanoun), Osama Abu Arafeh (oud), Mohammad Ghosheh (violin) and Abdelsalam Sabbah (percussion).
The album title - Voyage - is not without deliberate irony. The policies of the Israeli occupation have left Jerusalem isolated and Gaza under siege, and made travel and movement difficult or impossible for Palestinians. The pieces on the album reflect the theme of a voyage, including the tracks “Ya Sham” (“Oh, Syria”), “Helwa ya Baladi” (My beautiful country”), “Qalandia” (A West Bank village and refugee camp which is nowadays synonymous with the Israeli military checkpoint dividing Ramallah and Jerusalem), and “Malhamet Ghazzeh” (“the Gaza Butchery”).
The album is an ESNCM production and is available in the branches of the conservatory.