A world premiere commissioned by The Arts Center, featuring Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (USA, Cuba) with guests: Yazz Ahmed (Bahrain, UK), Boom.Diwan (Kuwait), Malika Zarra (Morocco, France), Emirati oudist (TBA).

Afro-Latin jazz innovator Arturo O’Farrill leads a musical exploration of the Arab, Moorish, and North African roots of Afro Latin and Afro Cuban music and the seafaring music of the Arabian Gulf, featuring the Grammy-winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, and a broad range of khaleeji special guests. Inspired by Ned Sublette’s work tracing this connection between the Arabic and the Afro Cuban music as it travels via the Strait of Gibraltar and Andalucia. The usage of microtonal variation in Middle Eastern song and similar practice in the Blues and Afro folkloric chants is created with the invited guests, as they also explore the relationship of Khaleeji and Cuban music with seafaring culture.