Arab Music Now: Huda Asfour, ‘ud and qanun

Hear one of the most vibrant young interpreters of Arab music as she combines traditions from the Middle East and North Africa with influences from classical music and jazz. Born in Lebanon, Huda Asfour has collaborated with artists from Tunisia, Gaza, Ramallah, Egypt, Lebanon, and the United States. Her second CD, Kouni, was released this year with a broad range of styles that, as she says, “marry the nostalgic with the experimental, the rebellious with the subtle.” Asfour studied ‘ud (Arab lute) at the National Conservatory of Music in Gaza and the Edward Said Conservatory in Ramallah, and she studied qanun (zither) with virtuoso Said Rajab in Cairo. She has performed with the Al Urmawi Center for Mashreq Music, and she cofounded the Jehar band.