“The three musicians blend perfectly. With a dreamlike confidence they set out for a musical path that no one else took before, the one of a true oud jazz trio.” Concerto – Christian Bakonyi
Based on a perfect interplay between oud, double bass and drums, the three musicians create an intricate braiding of jazz beats and maqam arabesques, crossing all stilistical borders. “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity“ is what the philosopher Seneca once said to describe a coincidence. Playing on the word Hazard refers to one meaning: dedicate yourself to one thing, put everything at stake, go all in – the rest is luck. Fadhel Boubaker, Jonathan Sell and Dominik Fürstberger consider their chance encounter as a lucky strike, created through the combination of talent and the joy of playing.
This trio lists the cross-cultural exchange as one of the most important sources for their inspiration. And as they are looking for exchange as equals, they really try to get to know each other’s culture. For instance, Fadhel Boubaker like almost no other oud player improvises freely above harmonic changes like a musician with western roots. At the same time, double bass player Jonathan Sell is adapting the arabic scale system ‘maqam’ on his instrument and is connecting it with a western knowledge of building counterpoint basslines. Apart from traditional rhythms and percussion instruments from the Arabic world Dominik Fürstberger creates additional sonic layers with live electronics to carry both, Eastern and Western music traditions over to the present. The music of Haz’art Trio clearly shows how much potential can be found in exchange and exemplifies the benefit of difference.
