Mixed World Music Magazine, 2 Dec 2010
Beyond Babylon – voted best world music release of 2010 Made In The Netherlands.
Volkskrant – Neherlands, 4 Nov 2010 5 *
In its exquisite beauty this debut album holds up to the level of the best works of Anouar Brahem.
Songlines, 4 Feb 2011
The originality of the arrangements find its match in truly fresh compositions, and daring instrumentation, harmonies and melodies.
Granma, La Havana, Cuba 21 Dec 2010
With Arifa, the boundaries of jazz are limitless, and they introduced to the Cuban public fantastic Middle-Eastern music profoundly combined with jazz.
Birmingham City University, 3 Dec 2010
Arifa were a big hit with the whole Birmingham City University team at the Dutch Jazz World Meeting.
NRC Handelsblad, 21 Jan 2011 ****
Through their music, one enters the translucent world of dream landscapes.
Volkskrant, Neherlands, 15 feb 2010 5 *
The compositions, though unmistakably rooted in Turkish or classical Arabic music, are subtly harmonized and injected with styles borrowed from jazz, Balkan music and contemporary Western classical music. This makes for a fiery and compelling ensemble.
Leidsch Dagblad, 21 Feb 2011
“Immediately after the start of the concert, the qualities of the band Arifa, founded only a year ago, shined through. The quartet plays chamber music that leads the listeners far away from their daily burdens. With standing ovations the audience expressed their appreciation for Arifa’s music.”
Radio 6, Netherlands 3 Jan 2011
Top-quality musicians do not necessarily produce naturally interesting music. Arifa, however, is even greater than the sum of its parts.“
Onze Wereld – March 2011 ****
You get carried away on an adventurous and musical journey through the Balkans and Istanbul to Iraq. Be enchanted by the sounds of Arifa.
Slagwerkkrant (The Drummers Magazine) 24 Mar 2011
Arifa’s album ”Beyond Babylon“ has a wonderful atmosphere, starting with moving, new-age-like sounds and evolves into a rich oriental, sometimes wild adventure.
Cultuur Podium, Netherlands, 27 Feb 2010
Arifa enchanted the Bimhuis audience with fascinating music from the Middle East.
Studio Globe, 22 Jan 2011
The sound of Arifa is a musical voyage of magical scales and subtle nuances where the listener enters its sound and becomes the center point of its interactions. Only to realize much later that being one with music is still possible in this crazy, hectic world of ours. A masterpiece!
Line up:
Mehmet Polat ( Turkey ) Ud & vocals
Born in Urfa and raised in an environment of Alevi Sufism and Anatolian folk music. After studying Turkish and Arabic classical music, first in Urfa and later in Istanbul, he developed a new approach to playing the Ud. In 2007 Mehmet moved to the Netherlands for Master studies in Indian music at the Rotterdam Conservatory. Mehmet worked as a composer and soloist with prestigious musicians and orchestras as: Nederlands Blazers Ensemble, Metropole Orchestra, The Black Pencil Project, played world première performances of Theo Loevendie and Maarten Altena. Performed as a soloist in several prestigious concert-halls in the Netherlands and abroad like Concertgebouw, Muziekgebouw and Bimhuis in Amsterdam, Ataturk Culture Centre (Istanbul), Cemal Resit Rey (Istanbul), Middle east, Latin America and many others. www.mehmetpolat.net
Osama Abdulrasol ( Iraq ) Qanun
Osama is a composer, producer and Qanun & Guitar player. He was born in Babylon (Iraq) and he studied western music (classical guitar) in the UK and eastern music: qanun & guitar. He performed and toured all over the world with different groups like the De Filharmonie, Flemesh Radio orchestra, Goran Bregovic, Tom Robenson, BJ Scott, Olla vogalla, Mesopotamia, Weshm, Jahida Wehbe, Ghade Shbeir and many others. He participated in several Arab and international festivals including in Belgium, Holland, Germany, France, Portugal, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.
www.osamamusic.be
Alex Simu ( Rumania ) Sax, Clarinet, live electronics
Member of European Jazz Orchestra 2009, awarded with the EJO scholarship and nominated for the final round of EBU Jazz Competition 2009. Winner of Dutch Jazz Competition 2008 with the final in North Sea Jazz ( Rotterdam ) with Blazin Quartet, also with same band winning 1st prize of Utrecht Holland Casino 2008 Jazz Prize.
Active on the jazz and world music scene since 1999 he has been professionally playing and touring in 24 countries on 4 continents.www.alexsimu.com
Sjahin During ( Turkey & Netherlands ) Afro Anatolian Percussion
Sjahin During was born in Amsterdam, of a Turkish mother and a Dutch father. After a period of 12 years of studying and performing Afro Cuban music, Latin, Jazz, Flamenco, he decided to go back to Istanbul and study the Anatolian & Oriental rhythms, and instruments, such as : Darbuka, Bendir and Erbane (Daf). He played in North Sea Jazz festival, Percussion festival Havana-Cuba, Nuits de Afrique – Montreal, Vancouver Folk festival, Rhythms of the World – Toronto and many others in Bimhuis, SJU huis, Reiziger in muziek- TV, Concertgebouw-Amsterdam, Rasa. Toured to Canada, Germany, Belgium, France, Turkey, Greece, Spain, Cuba, Syria, Libanon, Iceland, Jordania Tunesia, Rajasthan- India and Holland. With: Arto Tunçboyaciyan, Miguel “Anga” Diaz, Pancho Quinto, Javier Campos Martinez, Martha Galarraga, Amalia Pedrosa, Papito Angarica, Stefan Kruger, Lilian Veira, Mark Lotz, Hasan Esen, Mola Sylla, Theodosii Spassov.