Palestinian Jazz: Taking Music Out of the Museum | Wanees Zarour

Starting at the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music at age seven, Palestinian composer and multi-instrumentalist Wanees Zarour discusses his musical journey, he details how he fell in love with string instruments like the violin and the buzuq. The conversation explores his original music group, East Loop, and how he blends microtonal music and Arabic tradition into a jazz framework. Additionally, he shares insights on serving as the director for the Middle East Music Ensemble at the University of Chicago and the experience of Arab musicians in the diaspora.   00:00 Introduction 01:41 The Early Days at the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music 05:41 Cultural History & Musical Underground in Palestine 08:19 Childhood Musical Influences and Repertoire 09:47 Discovering the Buzuq 13:49 Introducing East Loop & the Evolution of Silwan 21:40 Exploring Arabic Musical Structures & Form Variations 26:16 Chicago’s Arabic Music Scene 28:25 Breaking Down the Iraqi Georgina Rhythm in Festival 33:02 Challenging Jazz Boundaries with Microtonal Instruments 37:18 The Middle East Music Ensemble 40:23 The Tribute to Ziad Rahbani 42:37 Music as Expression vs. Entertainment 50:24 Connection & Separation within the Arab Diaspora Scene   Wanees Zarour is an award-winning Palestinian-American composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist steeped in the traditions of maqam and jazz. Born in Ramallah, Palestine, he began his musical training at age seven at the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music, where he studied Western classical violin and buzuq. He moved to the United States at 16. He is a faculty member at the University of Chicago and has directed the University of Chicago's Middle East Music Ensemble since 2010, growing it into an 85-piece orchestra serving as a national cornerstone for MENA music in America. He also co-directs the Chicago Immigrant Orchestra, a 14-piece rotating ensemble of world music masters, with guitarist Fareed Haque. He leads East Loop, a jazz septet fusing Arabic maqam and jazz. His 2026 album Silwan (East Loop) was reviewed by DownBeat Magazine (March 2026), All About Jazz, and The Jazz Word. He received the 3Arts Award in 2024. He is a faculty member at the Arabic Music Retreat and GLOMUS, and holds masterclasses at universities across the US.   Connect with Wanees Zarour 👉 https://instagram.com/wanees\_zarour   Hosted by Mikey Muhanna 👉 https://instagram.com/mikey\_mu   Theme music: Peninsular, Tarek Yamani 🔊 https://spoti.fi/47I59ns FOLLOW & RATE THE QUARTERTONES PODCAST: » Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/afikra-quartertones/id1646407556 » Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/26VHvC6yVOxlRFjeOts6uf » Anghami: https://play.anghami.com/podcast/1044639452 THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK  Explore all episodes in this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl7FiLcdH\_iSgv4RiXEy4GAh ABOUT AFIKRA afikra | عفكرة is a movement to convert passive interest in the Arab world to active intellectual curiosity. We aim to collectively reframe the dominant narrative of the region by exploring the histories and cultures of the region – past, present and future – through conversations driven by curiosity. 📍 Local events in 40+ locations worldwide http://afikra.com/chapters 🎧 New podcasts + videos weekly http://afikra.com/podcasts ⚡ Become a member: https://www.afikra.com/membership 🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afikra\_ 🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/afikra.official 🔗 Twitter: https://twitter.com/afikra Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.