Wanees Zarour

A music album by the East Loop ensemble, led by composer and buzuq player Wanees Zarour. Bringing together a collective of Chicago’s top-tier jazz musicians, the ensemble presents cohesive compositions grounded in the Arabic maqam while engaging contemporary jazz practices. The ensemble’s latest release, Silwan, features seven original compositions, recorded and filmed in the studio The album further illustrates the ensemble’s sonic identity and artistic direction, employing the melodic logic of the Maqamincluding oriental tones, modulations, and expressive phrasing - within a collective framework grounded in jazz traditions and a unified contemporary approach that preserves its expressive essence without compromising the authenticity of these traditions.