by Nomad
Bahraini musician Mohammed Rashid takes his inspiration from both Django Reinhardt and contemporary renditions of both Arabic and Western classics.
In a recent interview, Rashid explained:
Jazz, which developed over the years, contains many styles such as the bebop and swings. It’s a very alive music, and says a lot. We brought the jazz from its origins and opened the door for this colourful music to spread its magic in the Middle East. Many Arabs, both musicians and audience, are into jazz now and it’s somehow establishing its empire in the region.
Hammed Alsaeed on rhythm guitar and Ismail Gharib on contrabass. As Rashid pointed out, they were not overnight stars in their homeland.
The Trio started to play in 2015, and our main goal was to bring the gypsy jazz to the audience in Bahrain, and I can say that it didn’t click immediately.The band released that album, Middle Eastern Gypsy Sounds Vol 1 in 2017 and has played at music festivals around the world. You can listen to six tracks of this album here. It can also be downloaded through the indy music platform, Bandcamp.
But, afterwards, you can really see the difference, especially after producing my first EP album.
I hope this lively music will brighten your Sunday.