Hamid Al-Saadi, Amir ElSaffar

Amir ElSaffar’s Two Rivers Ensemble Featuring Hamid Al-Saadi at Drom

Gig Alerts | Mar 24, 2023

Amir ElSaffar’s Two Rivers Ensemble featuring Maqam vocalist Hamid Al-Saadi at Drom
April 2. 7:30PM. $20-25.

As a composer and as a musician, Amir ElSaffar brings together two different musical streams. His works combine elements of classical Arab music, especially from Iraq, where his family is from, with the sounds of a big jazz band. And as a performer himself, ElSaffar plays both the Western trumpet and the Iraqi santour, a type of dulcimer. He calls his band the Two Rivers Ensemble, and they often play with the great Iraqi singer Hamid Al-Saadi. Amir ElSaffar, and The Two Rivers Ensemble commemorates the 20th anniversary of the Iraqi war on Sunday, April 2 with a performance at the club Drom.

WNYC is funded by sponsors and member donations

Top Stories

The World Cup, the Knicks, and LeBron James’s Fate: An All-Time Summer in Sports

The staff writer Louisa Thomas on the U.S. men’s national soccer team, the N.B.A. off-season, and Serena Williams.
The New Yorker Radio Hour |

The near-collapsed Midtown building is now stable, but its finances may not be

Experts say the structural failure at the Pfizer Building could cause financial problems and a lingering stigma — but that the city’s housing shortage means renters will probably move in anyway.
Gothamist |

NYC DSA on Their Big Wins, and the Future

NYC-DSA co-chairs Grace Mausser and Gustavo Gordillo talk about the DSA's recent big wins.
The Brian Lehrer Show |

Get Lit: Laila Lalami's 'The Dream Hotel,' and Imal Gnawa Performs

All Of It with Alison Stewart |
YOU ARE ONLINE