Biography
Born on 8 November 1970 in Nazareth, Galilee, Israel, Sajrawy began formal training on guitar and in composition at the age of nine. During his late teens he performed regularly in neighborhood venues while also attending Nazareth’s Elite College. In 1995 he relocated to London for further study, enrolling in a composition program at the London College of Music and Media; four years later he received the Wilfred Joseph Prize. Although his coursework leaned toward scoring for film and television, he also collaborated onstage with numerous established world-music musicians during his time in Britain. After establishing himself as a technically masterful player and widely admired composer, he moved back to Israel, where he launched a productive dual career as both performer and writer of new works.
Sajrawy has characterized himself as a Christian Arab residing in Israel yet identifying as Palestinian. He draws creative impetus from the sharply divergent religious heritages of the region, forging a unified language that merges longstanding Jewish, Arab, and Christian idioms. At the same time he blends his personal reworking of these indigenous traditions with avant-garde classical techniques and modern rock and jazz elements, an approach first documented on his 2006 debut album Yathrib.
Throughout the mid-2000s his core quartet comprised bassist Valery Lipetz, drummer Ameen Atrash, and oud player Darwish Darwish. Additional associates with whom he has shared stages and, in several cases, recordings include rek player Ramzy Bisharat, guitarist Alex Carpani, jarra player Etamar Doari, violinists Bashir Asadi, Leonid Barshtak, and Nigel Kennedy, and tabla player Kayed Silawi. Beyond performing and composing, Sajrawy has maintained his own studio, working as a record producer and sound technician. His music, buoyant and intellectually engaging, stands as a welcome contribution to contemporary world music.
Sajrawy has characterized himself as a Christian Arab residing in Israel yet identifying as Palestinian. He draws creative impetus from the sharply divergent religious heritages of the region, forging a unified language that merges longstanding Jewish, Arab, and Christian idioms. At the same time he blends his personal reworking of these indigenous traditions with avant-garde classical techniques and modern rock and jazz elements, an approach first documented on his 2006 debut album Yathrib.
Throughout the mid-2000s his core quartet comprised bassist Valery Lipetz, drummer Ameen Atrash, and oud player Darwish Darwish. Additional associates with whom he has shared stages and, in several cases, recordings include rek player Ramzy Bisharat, guitarist Alex Carpani, jarra player Etamar Doari, violinists Bashir Asadi, Leonid Barshtak, and Nigel Kennedy, and tabla player Kayed Silawi. Beyond performing and composing, Sajrawy has maintained his own studio, working as a record producer and sound technician. His music, buoyant and intellectually engaging, stands as a welcome contribution to contemporary world music.
Albums
