Firas Zreik's Tarabesque: New Journeys in Arabic Music (RBA)

Firas Zreik, the Palestine-born master qanun player and composer, is releasing his new album Tarabesque — a project that merges tarab, the ecstatic immersive state central to Arab musical traditions, with modern styles from around the world. He's placed the qanun, that shimmering Mediterranean harp, at the center of a jazz quartet and Arab takht ensemble, reimagining it as both rhythmic engine and melodic force. The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs calls him "the Paco de Lucia of the Qanun."

Zreik performs with Gideon Forbes on saxophone and nay-flute, Ramiro Marziani on guitar, John Murchison on bass, and Alber Baseel on percussion. The album signals what the page describes as "the emergence of a new musical language" — maqam-driven melodies woven through rich harmonic and modal landscapes that feel defiantly new. Zreik has collaborated across genres with artists including Simon Shaheen, Amir ElSaffar, Roger Waters, and Residente; he recently received Grammy recognition for his songwriting work on "Bajo los Escombros."

Roulette is an intimate venue in Fort Greene. Expect a room where the focus is entirely on the music — the kind of night where virtuosity and emotional range command full attention. Tickets available through the link below.