Selawy & Hamboz
Bedouin Music from the Levant (Jordan)
The Bedouins form an integral part of Jordanian society, from which a large proportion of the population is descended. Their main areas of settlement are the Wadi Rum desert, the region around Petra and the Dana Valley in the south of the country. Despite becoming increasingly settled, they continue to uphold their nomadic traditions, hospitality and culture. Consequently, the Bedouin cultural landscape of Petra and Wadi Rum was recognised by UNESCO in 2008 as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Ahmad Selawy is a Palestinian-Jordanian multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer and bandleader. Having grown up in Irbid in northern Jordan, he was influenced by his father, a folk musician, as well as by the rock-inspired soundtracks of his childhood. In 2017, he founded the folk-rock band Octave to blend Levantine folklore with the emotional power of rock. Among other instruments, he plays the mizwad, a Bedouin double-pipe bagpipe whose bellows are traditionally made from goatskin or sheepskin.
In Mohammad Al-Qattanani ‘Hamboz’, he has found a long-standing musical partner. Hamboz, a composer and multi-instrumentalist, has specialised in the saz and oud since 2012 and is known for his fusion of Eastern tradition and free improvisation. He has composed music for film, television and theatre and has collaborated with numerous Jordanian bands.
Together, the duo Selawy & Hamboz tell the story of the Levant through powerful, distinctive and contemporary Bedouin sounds.
Latin Jam Session