تسليم وتسلُّم
the handover
Aly Eissa - Oud and composition
Ayman Asfour - violin
Jonas Cambien - Keyboards
Upcoming performances:
20.06.2024 Becco, Oslo (NO)
23.06.2024 Motvind Festival (NO)
12.07.2024 Copenhagen Jazz Festival (DK)
15.07.2024 TBA, Berlin (DE)
16.07.2024 TBA, Berlin (DE)
25-27.07.2024 Fanø Free Folk Festival (DK)
7-9.11.2024 Resonator Festival, Odense (DK)
17.11.2024 Cave 12, Geneve (CH)
26.11.2024 TBA, Leuven (BE)
27.11.2024 De Bijloke, Gent (BE)
Past performances:
17.11.2023 PRESENT Festival, Toonzaal, Den Bosch (NL)
18.11.2023 Wunderkammer, CC Stroombeek, Grimbergen (BE)
20.11.2023 Klein, Copenhagen (DK)
21.11.2023 Teater Momentum, Odense (DK)
06.06.2023 Zamalek, Cairo (EG)
03.06.2023 Zest Studio, Alexandria (EG)
02.06.2023 Jesuit Centre, Alexandria (EG)
30.05.2023 Cairo Jazz Club, Cairo (EG)
26.05.2023 All Saints' Studio, Cairo (EG)
20.05.2023 Room Art Space, Cairo (EG)
27.03.2023 MIR, Oslo (NO)
26.03.2023 HAVET, Trondheim (NO)
Album release on Sublime Frequencies
In The Handover, AlyEissa, Ayman Asfour and Jonas Cambien explore the common and uncommonsenses of Egypt's ritual music. It is clear that Aly Eissa's originalcomposition is deeply rooted in Egyptian and Arabic traditions. Atthe same time, this band is one of the most progressive coming out ofEgypt today. This is in big part thanks to Eissa, who has proven timeand again to be not only an extremely skillful composer, but also areal visionary, combining tradition with modern experimentation.
A performance byThe Handover is typically one stretch without break: a long build-upthat lasts for the duration of the concert. Towards the end of theperformance, all the tension is released in an exuberant, joyfulclimax, when wild improvisations are driven forward on top ofexciting dance-rhythms from rural Egypt. The Handover elegantlycombines the delicacy of classical Arabic music, the rawexpressiveness of Egypt's countryside music, and the spontaneity offree improvisation, carefully obliterating the artificial separationbetween acoustic and electronic instruments. Despite the remarkableabsence of any percussion or drums, The Handover is an extremelygroovy band, with an ability to slow down and accelerate the tempo inalmost telepathic synchronization at exactly the right moments.
Alongside the tightensemble playing there is plenty of room for individual expression asthe oud, synthesizer and violin take turns playing solos on top ofrepetitive riffs. Throughout the album, native Alexandrian AymanAsfour plays the violin with breathtaking beauty, while not beingafraid to make the violin buzz, squeak and rattle at times.Belgian/Norwegian keyboardist Jonas Cambien makes the synthesizer amelodic instrument in its own right, at times evoking almostclassical Maqam, while in other moments it seems like he comesstraight out of an Egyptian wedding. The oud forms the backbone inthe composition's structure, as Aly Eissa's solos guide the listenerfrom minimalist, meditative drones, to a compelling climax, and backto earth.
There is much more toThe Handover's sound then the obvious references to Arabic andEgyptian music. The opening drone section of the album is pushedtowards abstraction and even noise, and the vintage Farfisa organgives the music a touch of 70s psychedelic rock. The repetitive riffscan be reminiscent of Embryo's experiments combining krautrock withinfluences from the middle-east, but the use of repetition to inducetrance dates way back in Egyptian music, and is present in manyrituals like Sufi and moulid celebrations. The composed melodies onthis album couldn't be possible without Eissa's deep love for thismusic. And what The Handover does with this composed materialcouldn't be possible without three strong individual voices, theirlove to play music together and their dedication to push thetraditions forward.
