Kinan Azmeh

“Sahra be Wyckoff”

I moved to New York City in 2001, and shortly after I found myself surrounded by some incredibly creative minds who became dear friends and collaborators over the years. Sahra is the Arabic word for party, and Wyckoff is a street in Brooklyn where few of these friends lived in a beautiful and slightly bohemian loft and used to host gatherings on a semi-regular basis to have a drink, discuss life and most importantly, jam together. The musical landscape of these jam sessions included whatever instruments are present at a given moment. Violinists, clarinetists, cellists, singers, rappers, pianists, dancers, visual artists, filmmakers and electronic music producers. It was in these gatherings where I have witnessed the birth and growth of many projects that I ended up being closely associated with: Brooklyn Rider, the Knights Orchestra, the Silkroad Ensemble and many others. Johnny was one of these wonderful hosts, and he and I continue to refer to these early creative years in the city as The Wyckoff Years!

This piece is an homage to a place of gathering, and to the spirit of that collective that continues to live on. The lyrics at the end of the piece are:

ة‭ ‬ب‭ ‬واف

A party at Wyckoff for all

This piece is dedicated to Johnny Gandelsman, a wonderful violinist, producer, collaborator human, and a dear friend. –Kinan Azmeh

“Safra be Wyckoff“ was generously commissioned by Matthew Van Besien and Rosie Jowitt, in partnership with the University Musical Society (Ann Arbor, MI)