Mohamed Abozekry Sextet

Join us for the final event of the Claremont Mini Jazz Fest with the Mohamed Abozekry Sextet. The work of oud master and musical polymath Mohamed Abozekry resonates in time and of place, as he excavates and renews the deep frame of Egyptian classicism. With a new sextet featuring musicians working across and around two continents he continues to push the boundaries of what it means to be contemporary. Roh El Fouad (The Heart’s Soul), Abozekry’s fifth album, released in 2024, fuses oud, bass, drums, keyboard, percussion, saxophone, and vocals to form the latest chapter in Abozekry’s improvisational exploration of Egyptian music without a predetermined template.

“With brilliant, inventive virtuosity that goes far beyond technical mastery…in Roh El Fouad Abozekry’s compositions are interwoven with jazz, Arabic modes, and swirling ardor.” Le Monde, May 2024

Mohamed Abozekry

As performer and writer, the compositions and techniques of oud master and musical polymath Mohamed Abozekry excavate and renew the deep frame of Egyptian classicism.

In this project featuring a sextet of musicians from Cairo, Paris, and New York, Abozekry presents Roh El Fouad (The Heart’s Soul). Released in 2024 this album fuses oud, bass, drums, keyboard, percussion, saxophone, and vocals to form the latest chapter in Abozekry’s musical explorations without a predetermined template.

Born in Cairo in 1991, Abozekry graduated at 15 from the Arabic Oud house in Cairo. He was the youngest oud teacher in the Arab world, and in 2009 was awarded first prize at the International Oud Competition in Syria. At the age of 18, he began splitting his time in France where his career as an international artist began. Now a dual national of France and Egypt, navigating cultural borders is a core source of inspiration.

Pursuing his love of cinema and film scores, Abozekry earned a master’s degree in film music (MAAAV) in Lyon II in 2019. He has scored short films and TV series such as ‘Maktoub Akaya’ (K Media) 2022, ‘Balto’ (Watch it), and ‘Omar Affendi’ (Shahid).

While the oud is usually positioned as solo instrument or takes the melodic lead in a traditional Arabic ensemble, Abozekry collaborates with musicians across musical spaces – from jazz to Roma bands, western classical orchestras, and electronica. He creates new compositions and the techniques to play with others in these diverse landscapes.

Abozekry has released five albums to date including “Chaos” (Rue Stendhal - 2013) and ‘Ring Road’ (Jazz Village - 2015) with his French jazz band, HeeJaz. 2018’s ‘Karkadé’ (Jazz Village - 2016) was a trip back to the source with a team of traditional musicians in Cairo, a project that toured the U.S. ‘Trio Abozekry’ (Molpé Music - 2018) features a collaboration with his brother Abdallah Abozekry on sax, and Nicolas Thé on drums. In 2024, he released ‘Roh El Fouad’(Nile Waves), with a jazz sextet he formed in Cairo.

Abozekry is bringing the oud into new musical spaces, expanding the popularity of the instrument and reminding us how ancient traditions continue to shape modern sounds. “I never move backwards, but in a circular motion and return to the place I started with more experience.” Mohamedabozekry.com and @m.Abozekry

The Sextet

The musical interests of Abozekry’s musical partners on this U.S. tour are equally wide ranging. Camille Maussion (Paris/saxophone) @camille.maussion, George Nabil (Paris/keyboards) @george.nabilmusic, André Segone (Paris/bass) @andre_segone, Wadie Naim (Cairo/percussion) @wadie_naim, Ele Salif Howell (Brooklyn/drums) @elehowell, Nazli Reda (Cairo/sound engineer) @nazlis.noise

2025 U.S.Tour

Mohamed Abozekry Sextet is on tour in the U.S. as part of Center Stage, the cultural diplomacy program that hosted Abozekry’s Karkadé project in 2018. Their month-long tour includes stops in Tucson AZ, State College PA, Baltimore MD, Lexington KY, Wilmington NC, Chicago IL, Claremont NH, Saugerties NY, and New York City.

Since 2012, Center Stage has produced national tours by 48 groups from 19 countries, hosted by colleges and universities, festivals, music clubs, and cultural centers. Center Stage ensembles reach large cities and small towns. They engage with communities onstage, offstage, and online through performances, workshops, and discussions, artist-to-artist exchanges, master classes, and community gatherings, and return home to share these experiences with peers and fans. For this last edition of the program, Center Stage has invited alumni groups to return and share their work in communities from coast to coast. These are Khumariyaan (Pakistan), Papermoon Puppet Theatre (Indonesia), Mohamed Abozekry (Egypt & France), and Kurbasy (Ukraine). Visit centerstageus.org for more information.

Center Stage is a public diplomacy initiative of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs with funding provided by the U.S. Government, administered by the New England Foundation for the Arts in cooperation with the U.S. Regional Arts Organizations. General management is provided by Lisa Booth Management, Inc.

Producer

New England Foundation for the Arts

Adrienne Petrillo, Interim Director of Program Strategy

Kelsey Spitalny, Interim Manager of Program Strategy

General Manager

LBMI, Lisa Booth Management, Inc.

Deirdre Valente, Principal

Robert W. Henderson, Jr., Production Manager

Danielle Dybiec, Nine Muses Travel, Tour Advance

Denise Wilcke, On Tour Company Manager

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Claremont Creative Center, 56 Opera House Square, Claremont, United States