Hear Arifa’s musical alchemy of Anatolian-Balkans beats at this year’s EFG Jazz Festival in London

CULTURE / MUSIC

Making their long-awaited London debut later this month is internationally acclaimed multi-ethnic quartet Arifa. Comprising of band members from Turkey, Romania, Greece and Germany, they delight in musical influences from East and West to create soundscapes that are sumptuous and thrilling, magically transcending the sum of the parts.

Their first two releases, Beyond Babylon (2010) and Anatolian Alchemy (2012), were critically acclaimed, the songs simple, strong melodies from the Balkans and Anatolia that are shaped through the band’s impeccable jazz credentials and intuitive improvisations, and blended lightly with electronics to deliver intensely personal moods that remain deep in the musical soul.

The band members are:

Alex Simu (Romania) - saxophone, clarinets & laptop
Franz von Chossy (Germany) - piano 
Michalis Cholevas (Greece) - tarhu, ney
Sjahin During (Holland/Turkey) - percussion

Listen to Secret Poetry, recorded in 2014, here and then go see them live on the 18^th at the Southbank.

Date: 18 November 2014

Address:  Purcell Room, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX

Start time:  7.30pm

Entry: £10-£20

Info and bookings: www.efglondonjazzfestival.org.uk