Wasla

Wasla is the name of a particular expression of the musical suite developed by different Arab traditions such as the nuba in North Africa and fasl in Syria. Wasla is a creation developed by Tarek Abdallah proposing to revive the golden age of this musical tradition through a personal approach to the Egyptian musical suite in terms of composition, interpretation and improvisation. Tarek is accompanied by the Egyptian percussionist Adel Shams el Din on the classical Arab tambourine known as riqq. Born in Alexandria in 1975, Tarek Abdallah is a composer and interpretor who draws his inspiration from the golden age of Egyptian art of solo oud (1910-1930) – which is also the main focus of his musicology research work at the University of Lyon. He devotes much of his time to broadcasting knowledge of the Arab lute through courses, masterclasses and workshops, as well as numerous musical creations with various artists.  Adel Shams el-Din has been acknowledged as one of the best riqq players of the moment, mastering the most complex Arab rhythms. A founding member of the Ensemble Al-Kindi, he has also played alongside such musicians as Loutfi Bouchnak, Hussein Al Azemy, Saïd Chraïbi, Zakir Hussein, Renauld Garcia Fons, Magali Imbert, Jean-Luc Fillon etc.