NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD: Interview - Amir ElSaffar
NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD: Interview - Amir ElSaffar
BY KURT GOTTSCHALK
"Trumpeter, santur player, vocalist and composer Amir ElSaffar has made more than one mark on contemporary jazz. Borrowing from his background and studies of Arabic music (his father is originally from Iraq), ElSaffar has developed his own techniques for playing quarter-tones on the trumpet. Extending that cross-pollination, he has released a series of beautiful and evocative records combining Arabic and Western approaches and instrumentation. We spoke with him as he was concluding a composer’s residency in France and gearing up to present his large ensemble Rivers of Sound at the Newport Jazz Festival."