Biography
Sam Shalabi is an Egyptian-Canadian composer and improviser, living between Montreal, Quebec and Cairo, Egypt. Beginning in punk rock in the late 70s, his work has evolved into a fusion of experimental, modern Arabic Music that incorporates traditional Arabic, shaabi, noise, classical, text, free improvisation and jazz. He has released 5 solo albums (including ‘On Hashish’ - a musical meditation on German writer Walter Benjamin, ‘Osama’, an audio collage on arabophobia in the wake of 9/11 and his most recent ‘Music for Arabs’), 5 albums with Shalabi Effect, a free improvisation quartet that bridges western psychedelic music and Arabic Maquam (scales) and 3 albums with Land Of Kush (experimental 30 member orchestra, for which he composes). He has appeared on over 30 albums and toured Europe, North America and North Africa.
Current projects include the release of the 6th Shalabi Effect album, a duo album with Stefan Christoff, two albums on the Italian label Sagittarius, with Beirut, Turkish and Egyptian musicians and a recent tour in the eastern U.S with Alvarius B, where Sam played solo Ud (Arabic Lute). He is also premiering a new composition for ud and electronics in a series of performances in late 2014 as well as releasing an album with The Dwarves Of East Agouza, a Cairo based trio with Maurice Louca and Alan Bishop in 2015.
Stefan Christoff is a writer, community organizer and musician living in Montreal, as a pianist Stefan has worked on numerous projects over recent years including Duets for Abdelrazik, an album of duets with Matana Roberts, Norman Nawrocki, Peter Burton, Radwan Ghazi Moumneh, Rebecca Foon and Sam Shalabi, all playing to express solidarity with the struggle of Sudanese-Canadian Abousfian Abdelrazik who was exiled, jailed and tortured in Sudan with the active complicity of the Canadian government. Also Stefan worked on a series of recordings at La Sala Rossa, including two albums of duets with Sam Shalabi on oud, the first родина and the second Flying Street both are rooted in a developing collaboration extending between Cairo and Montreal.
Stefan also has released two eps, the first Temps libre recorded with Brahja Waldman (saxophone) and Peter Burton on bass within the context of the Quebec student strike and the second Wire Tones recorded with double bass player David Parker in Kingston, Ontario at the Artel. Stefan is active in Montreal within both activist and artistic initiatives and works a lot on projects around the Howl arts collective. listen to sounds by Stefan at : soundcloud.com/spirodon
Current projects include the release of the 6th Shalabi Effect album, a duo album with Stefan Christoff, two albums on the Italian label Sagittarius, with Beirut, Turkish and Egyptian musicians and a recent tour in the eastern U.S with Alvarius B, where Sam played solo Ud (Arabic Lute). He is also premiering a new composition for ud and electronics in a series of performances in late 2014 as well as releasing an album with The Dwarves Of East Agouza, a Cairo based trio with Maurice Louca and Alan Bishop in 2015.
Stefan Christoff is a writer, community organizer and musician living in Montreal, as a pianist Stefan has worked on numerous projects over recent years including Duets for Abdelrazik, an album of duets with Matana Roberts, Norman Nawrocki, Peter Burton, Radwan Ghazi Moumneh, Rebecca Foon and Sam Shalabi, all playing to express solidarity with the struggle of Sudanese-Canadian Abousfian Abdelrazik who was exiled, jailed and tortured in Sudan with the active complicity of the Canadian government. Also Stefan worked on a series of recordings at La Sala Rossa, including two albums of duets with Sam Shalabi on oud, the first родина and the second Flying Street both are rooted in a developing collaboration extending between Cairo and Montreal.
Stefan also has released two eps, the first Temps libre recorded with Brahja Waldman (saxophone) and Peter Burton on bass within the context of the Quebec student strike and the second Wire Tones recorded with double bass player David Parker in Kingston, Ontario at the Artel. Stefan is active in Montreal within both activist and artistic initiatives and works a lot on projects around the Howl arts collective. listen to sounds by Stefan at : soundcloud.com/spirodon
