Qatar Music Academy Director Zlatan Fazlić (right) and Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra bassist Matteo Gaspari (left) with a student at the event.
Doha: Jazz tunes blended with Arabic musical heritage as the 10th Katara European Jazz Festival brought diverse musical traditions together in a celebration of cultural exchange.
Speaking to The Peninsula on the sidelines of the festival on Wednesday, the Qatar Music Academy (QMA) Director Zlatan Fazlić described jazz as “timeless music,” noting that several pieces performed on the Katara stage date back to the early 20th century and remain widely popular today.
Fazlić described jazz as a fine medium to fuse with traditional Arabic music, due to shared rich melodic and rhythmic elements available for exploration.
The distinct sounds of prominent Arabic music instruments, such as the darbuka and nay, add an exciting flavour to jazz arrangements, he said.
These musical fusions were met with warm applause from the audience when nay player Ibrahim Kadar, along with George Oro and his Arab percussion students, took the stage alongside Fazlić and his band.
Soraya and her husband Franc, celebrating their wedding anniversary at the Katara esplanade, said they were drawn to the blend of Eastern sounds and traditional North American jazz.
“We love the blend of jazz and Arabian musical heritage,” she said, adding that they were particularly looking forward to the performance by French group the Illyes Ferfera Quartet, known for incorporating North African rhythms into contemporary jazz.
A performer’s ability to experiment with varied musical traditions while preserving the core structure of the piece takes great technical skill, Fazlić explained.
This was demonstrated when the ensemble performed their own rendition of Dave Brubeck’s famous cool jazz standard “Take Five”— titled “Take Four”— as well as an Arabic percussion-infused performance of the timeless Brazilian tune “Mas Que Nada”; the latter even drawing the attention of some pedestrians casually strolling the Katara beachside, who paused momentarily to catch the music. The QMA performance also showcased several young musicians, who accompanied seasoned veterans Zlatan Fazlić and bassist Matteo Gaspari.
Fazlić attributed the students’ confidence and composure on stage to their dedicated rehearsals and thorough preparation. “It comes down to training,” he said.
“When we go on stage, the students are already confident because they can replicate the same quality performance without fear, because they are confident in their ability and in the rest of the band.”
The Katara European Jazz Festival will run until November 7, 2026.
