Faris Ishaq

Faris Ishaq from Beit Sahour, Palestine is a world renowned player of the nay reed-flute. Together with a fine ensemble including David Mowat (Switzerland/UK) trumpet,, Knud Stüwe (Germany) guitar, oud, Tim Funnell (UK) piano, Federico Leonori (Italy) bass, Paolo Adamo (Italy) drums he provided an extraordinary evening of music at the lovely Old School Room venue in the Somerset village of Curry Rivel. Faris Ishaq's desire for the 'Siblings or Fools' tour, an echo of the words of Martin Luther King in 1963, "live together as brothers or perish together as fools", is to show that musical forms such as jazz can be unified across cultures while challenging any notion of limitation. Faris explained that the history of the revered nay is rooted within Palestinian culture and far beyond. In the performance this evening the flexibility of this instrument was revealed, for example drawing on the influence of John Coltrane or taking the audience on an extraordinary musical journey around 'My Favourite Things' from the 'Sound of Music'. There was also a powerful, heartbreaking poem, 'Wadi Gaza' by Ibrahim Yaghi a poet based in Gaza, which was accompanied by the ensemble. The skills of the accompanying musicians were also showcased throughout the evening, which for me showed the generosity and authenticity of Faris Ishaq in his quest to reveal the flexibility of the nay in a tapestry of musical forms. The soaring, expressive, poignant and percussive call of the nay in the hands of this virtuoso Palestinian performer will be long remembered. An unforgettable experience. Dave Clinch

Faris Ishaq from Beit Sahour, Palestine is a world renowned player of the nay reed-flute. Together with a fine ensemble including David Mowat (Switzerland/UK) trumpet,, Knud Stüwe (Germany) guitar, oud, Tim Funnell (UK) piano, Federico Leonori (Italy) bass, Paolo Adamo (Italy) drums he provided an extraordinary evening of music at the lovely Old School Room venue in the Somerset village of Curry Rivel. Faris Ishaq's desire for the 'Siblings or Fools' tour, an echo of the words of Martin Luther King in 1963, "live together as brothers or perish together as fools", is to show that musical forms such as jazz can be unified across cultures while challenging any notion of limitation. Faris explained that the history of the revered nay is rooted within Palestinian culture and far beyond. In the performance this evening the flexibility of this instrument was revealed, for example drawing on the influence of John Coltrane or taking the audience on an extraordinary musical journey around 'My Favourite Things' from the 'Sound of Music'. There was also a powerful, heartbreaking poem, 'Wadi Gaza' by Ibrahim Yaghi a poet based in Gaza, which was accompanied by the ensemble. The skills of the accompanying musicians were also showcased throughout the evening, which for me showed the generosity and authenticity of Faris Ishaq in his quest to reveal the flexibility of the nay in a tapestry of musical forms. The soaring, expressive, poignant and percussive call of the nay in the hands of this virtuoso Palestinian performer will be long remembered. An unforgettable experience. Dave Clinch