Kinan Azmeh | Essential albums and listening guide

Meet the artist

A Damascus-born clarinetist and composer working across Syrian music, classical composition and jazz improvisation. His CityBand and Silkroad collaborations create settings for dialogue across musical backgrounds. From breathy low notes to sustained high tones, his clarinet shapes speechlike melodies.

Syrian melodic gestures acquire new expression through improvisation with guitar, bass and drums. Ornamented passages retain a longer line, linking stillness with rising intensity. Composed material and open responses provide common ground for different players, with the instrument's almost vocal presence offering an immediate connection.