Episode 127
Palestine-born Artist Firas Zreik on Playing the Music of His People
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Take the journey into the land of the Palestinian Kanun
Firas Zreik is a Palestine-born, NY-based composer and player of Kanun, a traditional Arabic string instrument. He has performed and recorded in varied styles including Arabic Maqam and jazz and collaborated with many international artists such as Residente, Pink Floyd's Roger Waters, Shreya Ghoshal, and others. His debut EP "Solo" came out in 2021 and his most recent release is a 2023 full-length album called "Salute.”
Take a journey with us today to the land of Kanun, the Arabic tradition of Maqam, and world music.
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What you’ll learn in this episode:
Understanding the Kanun and its history
Maqam: the language of Arabic music
How colonization and racism show up in the music world
Growing up Palestinian and second-class citizen in Haifa and Galilee
What it was like collaborating with Grammy-winning artist Residente
The role of artists and activism in the Palestinian cause
Firas tackles the question of diaspora
“I don't want to remind anyone of my humanity. It's not the good Palestinians with the instrument and the bad Palestinians with the rifle. This is not how you solve dehumanization. It's an issue of superiority, of white supremacy. It's on them to reinvent their agenda, ideologies, and way of looking at things.”
— Firas Zreik
Breaking Barriers In Music
Check out our full interview on YouTube →
Collaborating with Grammy winner Residente
In 2024, Firas Zreik collaborated with the Grammy-winning Puerto Rican artist Residente, Palestinian singer (and Firas’s mother) Amal Murkus, and Argentinian musician Leo Genovese on a song dedicated to the children of Gaza.
Featured on the Show
Opening credit: Prelude to Salute by Firas Zreik
See Firas play Kanun in my three other favorite compositions:
Listen to the song dedicated to the children of Gaza, in collab with Residente
Learn more about Firas on his website
Follow Firas on Instagram
Firas Zreik
“Even if you try to be just a musician, you are a political entity, whether you like it or not.”
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