Amir El Saffar with Salaam

Composer, trumpeter, santur player, vocalist, and bandleader Amir ElSaffar has been described in the New York Times as a “celebrated trumpeter and composer who explores vital connections between jazz and Arabic music.” He has an international reputation combining jazz and western classical music with the Maqam music of Iraq and the Middle East. At this year’s Lotus, Amir joins Bloomington-based Salaam, which includes his sister, multi-instrumentalist Dena ElSaffar and percussionist Tim Moore. Salaam plays an expansive mix of traditional and original Middle Eastern music that is deeply rooted in Maqam.