ABOUT AL QAHWA
The group name Al Qahwa is Arabic for “the coffee house”. It was inspired by the coffee house culture in the Middle East where people would go to hear the latest news, music, poetry and stories. The repertoire began with traditional songs from Syria, Egypt and Iraq and then in 2018, the group started adding original repertoire by members of the band. Their second recording “Cairo Moon” is a cultural collaboration between the regular members of Al Qahwa and two guest artists: Dr. Alfred Gamil – one of Cairo’s treasured violinists/composers who is both steeped in tradition and known for his virtuosic, flirtatious creative presence; and Majd Sukar – a deeply rooted Syrian musician who has adapted the clarinet to Arabic music. In 2020, “African Routes”, inspired by the music of North Africa, was released with guests: Roula Said – a long time collaborator with Maryem, originally from Palestine; Waleed Abdulhamid – originally from Sudan; and Fethi Nadjem – originally from Algeria.

Al Qahwa’s new recording “Weyn Allah” adds Waleed Abdulhamid (bass, vocals) to the core group. It was made with support from The Toronto Arts Council and The Ontario Arts Council. It will be released in June 2023 followed by a Canadian tour with the 6 piece ensemble, adding Roula Said (dance, percussion and back up vocals).

There will be a CD release concert on June 18, 2023 from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Tranzac (292 Brunswick Avenue).  Get tickets here.

To buy Al Qahwa CDs or tracks digitally, go to:

alqahwa.bandcamp.com

To order and buy physical CDs directly from the band, send email to alqahwaensemble@gmail.com

To support Al Qahwa, please donate to their tip jar at this link:

https://www.paypal.com/biz/fund?id=L5HED3CL9JHHL

Or click the yellow donate button below:

UPCOMING GIGS