Basel Zayed

Basel Zayed (باسل زايد) is a Jerusalem-born Palestinian oud virtuoso, composer, vocalist and conductor who brings the Arabic Maqam tradition to international stages. His music blends Maqam and classical Arabic music with classical and modern Western sound and jazz, always in search of tarab, the state of musical ecstasy at the heart of Maqam performance. A trained pianist, arranger and music educator with a background in music therapy, Basel has worked with Ayn Trio, Turab and Yalalan. His releases include "I'm From Gaza", "I Also Saw", "Ayn Trio", "Kharoub" and "Hada Leil" (with Turab). He has performed in Palestine, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy, France, Spain, Denmark, Lebanon, Jordan, Russia and Egypt, and his work has been featured in The Boston Globe, RootsWorld and This Week in Palestine.