MUSIQANA brings the audience together with their fusion of Tarab music. Four of the six musicians came to Berlin from Syrian in 2015. With the German-Kurdish percussionist Serdar Saydan and the Greek-Lebanese percussionist Markus Vassiliou, influences such as jazz and funk are added to the mix. Tarab is improvisation. Originating from classical music structures, the musicians play freely.
The singer jumps from one maqam (melodic mode) to another, launching the melody into new spheres, and with it transporting the singer, musicians and audience to a state of euphoria, called tarab.

www.musiqana.eu

Line up:
Abdallah Rahhal: Vocals
Adel Sabawi: Guitar
Alaa Zaitouna: Oud
Amjad Adam Oudeh: Bass
Markus Vassiliou: Drums
Serdar Saydan: Percussion

The Quartett primarily plays compositions by its singer, Marie Séférian, whose vocals oscillate between French lyrics and freely improvised sequences of syllables. The songs tell stories of young women in large palaces, ancient wisdom and morning melancholy. The three musicians punctuate these various images with their creative and colourful playing. Together, the quartet creates a mix of French chanson, jazz and Middle Eastern sounds.

www.marie-seferian.de

Line up: 
Marie Séférian: Vocals
Niko Meinhold: Piano
Tim Kleinsorge: Bass
Javier Reyes: Drums
 

The band Conexão Berlin positions itself between the rich musical tradition of Brazilian instrumental music and modern European jazz. The project was founded by the percussionist Andreas Weiser, who has been working with the numerous variations of Brazilian music for many years. Weiser seeks to unite the most interesting aspects of both musical styles in his band. Groovy and jazzy instrumental music with Brazilian accents is the result.

www.weiserarts.com

Line up:
Christian Magnusson Trumpet
Tino Derado Piano
Thomy Jordi Bass
Matthias Trippner Drums
Andreas Weiser Percussion

It was almost a year ago, that the singer Natalie Greffel set out to develop an idea that had been flying about in her head for a long time: to combine the Brazilian music that accompanied her through her childhood with jazz. Her musical universe was created through this combination, and features reflective lyrics, humorous harmonies and transformed samba and baião rhythms, which not only show the sunny side of life, but encourage the audience to join in the dancing and celebrations right from the "levada".

www.nataliegreffel.com

Line up: 
Natalie Greffel: Vocals, percussion
Roman Klobe: Guitar
Povel Widestrand: Piano
Fabian Timm: Bass
Ugo Alunni: Drums

Ticvaniu Mare
From the Ukraine, via Moldova and Romania to the Balkan regions of Serbia, Macedonia and Bulgaria, the music of the Berlin-based brass band reflects various regions of Eastern Europe. The versatile repertoire consists of traditional Yiddish songs, and Roma songs that tell stories of the attachments and bonds between people who are made to feel like strangers in their own home. Ticvaniu Mare seizes on their originality and interprets this in its own unique way.

www.ticvaniumare.com

Line up: 
Malte Bogner: Accordion
Martin Olsen: Posaune
Marjan Antic: Trumpet
Moritz Freisinger: Trumpet
Olivier Genevest: Trumpet
Stefan Pahlke: Tuba
Attila Wiegand: Percussion