Event

The Siphr Experiment with Naima Shalhoub and Tarik Kazaleh

Naima Shalhoub and Tarik Kazaleh are Oakland-based Arab-American artists and have been performing, creating and composing music together since 2012. Kazaleh is an MC, composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist who has toured throughout the Middle East, Europe and the United States. Shalhoub is a vocalist, composer and musician who has toured Lebanon and throughout the United States. Collectively they have performed in jails, community centers, jazz clubs and concert halls all over the Bay Area with Shalhoub's band, most notably for the release of "Live in San Francisco County Jail" recorded in 2015. They draw upon their Arab music traditions and American soul repertoire while experimenting with sound and lyric. Their next recorded collaboration involves Shalhoub's full-length studio album with plans for release in 2019.

Shalhoub's performance and compositions are stunning. Shalhoub has a soulful voice that seamlessly transitions between growly high belts, fragile falsetto, and deep rich low tones. Her debut CDLive in San Francisco County Jail combines her raw talent with her passion for social justice.

Tarik Kazaleh is a Palestinian-American producer, composer and MC from San Francisco, CA. Hailing from a musical family, he began playing Guitar and Arabic Tabla in 1992. Furthering his passion for music, Tarik went on to study Oud and Arabic Maqam (Modes which are the basis for Oud improvisation) and eventually studied music theory and free improvisation with Josh Allen (from the Berkeley Jazz School).

With: Ed Baskerville on Cello; Tarik Kazaleh on Guitar, Oud and Tabla; Colin Douglas on Drums; Isaac Ho on Piano; Chris Trinidad on bass guitar