Chios Music Festival
MASAA: When the Arabic poetry meets contemporary jazz

Chios Music Festival returns to its winter edition, from 16 to 18 February 2023, with a multicultural program, including the internationally renowned ensemble, Berlin Piano Trio, the award-winning ethno-jazz quartet, Masaa, a film screening in collaboration with Chios Film Club and educational activities for children and adolescents.

Masaa

When the Arabic poetry meets contemporary jazz, the result is a special lyrical bond that leaves no one unmoved... This bond is musically "captured" by the band MASAA, evoking harmony as well as warmth.

With Lebanese-born Rabih Lahoud as a founding member and a name that refers to the nightly conversation when the rhythms slow down, the tension of the day is gone and the big truths are spoken, MASAA offers an exciting and highly atmospheric ethno-jazz experience.

The five albums that the group has recorded so far, Freedom Dance (2012), Afkar (2014), Outspoken (2017), Irade (2020), East West Symphony - Hiwar (2021) accurately represent this pioneering project, for which MASAA has received numerous awards, including the Bremer Jazzpreis (2012), the Creole audience award (2013), the Förder-RUTH of the Rudolstadt Festival (2015) and the German Jazz Award (2021) for best vocal album of the year.

MASAA has toured the world and has travelled from East Africa to Lebanon. The year 2019 is a milestone for MASAA, as the addition of two new musicians redefines and enriches the group's sound and repertoire with influences from classical, pop and ethnic music.

Rabih Laoud, vocals

Marcus Rust, trumpet

Reentiko Dirks, double-neck guitar

Demian Kappenstein, drums