Basel Rajoub
| Basel Rajoub باسل رجوب | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Basel Rajoub |
| Origin | Syria.Switzerland |
| Genres | contemporary, Saxophone, Middle Eastern music |
| Occupation(s) |
Saxophonist Composer |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Website | http://www.sorianaproject.com |
Basel Rajoub (Arabic: باسل رجوب) is a Syrian saxophone player with a difference. Aleppo-born and Swiss-based graduate of Damascus High Institute of Music, Basel is a consummate performer, skilled improviser, and highly original composer creating new music that is rooted in a thousand-year-old tradition. Basel is known for developing oriental music for the saxophone and is dedicated to helping his audience discover contemporary expression of myriad melodic modes of Arabic music. An innovator both on stage and in the studio, Basel performs as a solo artist and a leader of the Basel Rajoub Ensemble.
“…performing on instruments that are not native to the Middle East, this artist exemplifies the talent, achievement, and breadth of a rising generation of cosmopolitan Arab musicians who combine jazz, classical music, the microtonal subtleties and myriad melodic modes of Arabic music.”
“… their music represents a sublime mix of spontaneity and control rooted in a thousand-year-old tradition of improvisation. Such music could only have emerged from artists whose own musical journeys have zigzagged back and forth between the Middle East and the West in unique ways, creating music that is at once seamless and surprising.”
Awards
RMC Radio Monticarlo , music arrangements 2006
Soriana Project
“Soriana is ‘our Syria’. A homeland we left behind, forced out either by a search or by circumstances. We head out thinking that we carry no baggage, completely unaware of the biggest gift our country has bestowed upon us. That gift is the gift of musical knowledge. It remains with me throughout many journeys, it soothes wounds and inspires creation, provides warmth and a platform of stability, images, aromas, tastes that water the mouth and inspire new creations still. This music is my gift to our Syria – Soriana.”
Soriana Project Contemporary Music from the Orient is a body of musical works by Syrian composer and instrumentalist Basel Rajoub. The project features collaborations with like-minded artists celebrating their heritage and paying homage to the gift of musical knowledge.
Concerts
19/05/2016 Lebenon / Beirut - Sunflower theatre ,Springs Festival
21/05/2016 Tunisia / Tunis -Hamra theatre ,Springs Festival
25/05/2016 Switzerland / Geneva
26/05/2016 Switzerland / Bern ONO
29/05/2016 Switzerland / Zurich Moods
24/07/2016 France / Nasbinals dans le cadre du festival
02/05/ 2015 Switzerland Biel Théâtre de Poche
01/05/2015 2015 Switzerland / Martigny Caves du Manoir
27/03/2015 Switzerland / Geneva AMR Jazz Festival
05/10/2014 Austria / Vienna MuTh - Musik und Theater
04/10/2014 Switzerland / Geveva Dans Le Cadre Du Festival Jazzcontreband
04/08/2014 Italy / Quarna sotto Quarna un paese per la musica
02/08/2014 France / Chamonix Cosmo Jazz Festival
09/04/ 2014 Switzerland Cully Jazz Festival
29/01/2014 UK / London Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre
24/09/2016 France / Paris Institut du Monde Arabe
01/10/2016 Germany / Berlin Radialsystem
20/11/2015 UK / London - London Jazz Festival
Albums
2008 Khameer
2012 Asia
2016 The Queen Of Turquoise
http://www.jazzvillagemusic.com/#!/albums/108
Film scores
- Roubama (2012), directed by Rakan Mayassi (Jordan). Feature film selection by Locarno Film Festival, Beirut International Film Festival
- Bb (2012) directed by Lamis Al Mouhammad (Syria)