Skjønnhet Utenfra II - Majaz
Majãz plays a variety of music styles rooted in the long Middle-Eastern traditions, including Sufi, Dabke, Tarab, Shaabi, pop, and contemporary folk jazz. Established in Oslo, the band features musicians from Slovakia, Syria, Belgium, Norway, and Palestine, blending music backgrounds in classical music, jazz and folk from diverse traditions.
Organically unfolding, Majãz’s music takes audiences through a rapid changing range of moods from pensive melancholy to exuberant optimism. Their playful use of oriental melodies and changes between Arabic scales allows listeners to travel through the musical lives of ancient cities yet evades any permanent definition.
Within a year after its establishment, Majãz began to play concerts all over Norway. In 2018, the band recorded the album Skjønnhet Utenfra II with guitarist Knut Reiersrud and saxophone player Håkon Kornstad. The album features a blend of traditional musical elements from Syria and Gaza with layers of Penguin Café Orchestra style minimalism, ambient moments, hints of country pop, and walls of urban jazz.
Saleh Mahfoud- guitar, vocals
Rola Bakheet- vocals
Shble Sleem- oud
Adrian Myhr- base
Jonas Cambien- melodica, saxophone
Michaela Antalova- percussion
Jamal El Attris- percussion
”Majãz makes Oslo bigger!” Filip Roshauw - Jazznytt