Klangkosmos NRW / Selawy & Hamboz (Jordanien)

In the organizer's words:

ISLAND
Sound Cosmos NRW / Selawy & Hamboz (Jordan)
Floating sound on the INSEL
Thursday / October 15, 2026 / 7:30 pm (admission: 7 pm)
Admission: 13/5 (VVK incl. fees) and 15/5 (B.O.)

Bedouin sounds from the Levant

Ahmad Selawy // clarinet / double reed flute / mizwad (bagpipe) / vocals
Mohammad Al-Qattanani "Hamboz" // Saz / Oud

The Bedouins are an integral part of Jordanian society, from which a large part of the population descends. The main settlement areas are the Wadi Rum desert, the area around Petra and the Dana Valley in the south of the country. Despite increasing sedentarization, they continue to maintain their nomadic traditions, hospitality and culture. In 2008, the Bedouin cultural area in Petra and Wadi Rum was recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

Ahmad Selawy is a Palestinian-Jordanian multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer and bandleader of the folk-rock band "Octave" with roots in the Levantine tradition. Growing up in the northern Jordanian city of Irbid, he was surrounded by traditional music and the sounds of village folk music from an early age. His father, a folk musician and singer, shaped Ahmad's early relationship with music. Although he was deeply connected to folk music traditions, Ahmad's creative imagination was expanded by an unexpected influence: the rocking soundtracks of cartoon series. These powerful rhythms sparked his curiosity and led him, even as a child, to instinctively interpret familiar folk melodies in a modern way. With few instruments at his disposal, he experimented on rooftops with household items, transforming everyday objects into percussion instruments and thus laying the foundations for his musical language.
Ahmad is a self-taught musician who initially found his inspiration at wedding celebrations, village performances and practising music with friends. In 2017, driven by the desire to combine traditional Levantine folklore with the emotional power of rock, he founded the "Octave" project, for which he brought together musicians from different musical genres. A turning point in Ahmad's musical career was his move from Irbid to Amman. The capital's vibrant music scene enabled him to focus more intensively on live performances and professional musicianship. During this time, he became a member of the renowned "Rum Band" under the direction of acclaimed composer Tareq Al Nasser, who became his mentor and from whom he received valuable artistic inspiration. This experience broadened Ahmad's musical horizons and encouraged him in his quest to maintain authenticity in the context of innovation. In addition to the carinette and the double-reed flute, he also plays the bagpipe with double whistle and mizwad reeds. The instrument originates from the Bedouins and first spread to the campsites of the nomadic cattle herders, then to the cities. The name literally means "provisions bag" and refers to the air bag, which is made from goat or sheep skin and stores the air that is blown into it through a narrow blowpipe. The two parallel connected pipes without the air bag form the hornpipe. Similar instruments can be found in many Arab countries. The pipes are often decorated with branding lines and have two cow or gazelle horns as bells.
Ahmad combines profound knowledge of the folk music of his country, which he develops with current popular sounds in a collaborative process of exploration and exchange to create an unmistakable sound that honors tradition and at the same time appeals to a cosmopolitan audience. He succeeds in uniting different generations, reviving long-forgotten folk songs and presenting them in a form that appeals to young and old alike. His work builds a bridge between village and city, past and present, tradition and experiment.

In Mohammad Al-Qattanani "Hamboz" he has had a musical companion for many years. He is a composer and a creative musician who has specialized in saz and oud since 2012 with excellent playing technique. He is also known for combining tradition and innovation, redefining the role of his instruments beyond their Eastern roots by giving improvisation an important place. His original compositions and interpretations of the classical repertoire have emotional depth. Hamboz has composed music for films, television series and plays, taught oud and collaborated with numerous Jordanian bands. On his first album - a journey with oud and saz to his own musical identity, each piece permeates an instrumental story that expresses emotions such as joy, sadness, hope and peace.

Together, the duo Selawy & Hamboz tell the story of the Levant with powerful, distinctive and contemporary Bedouin sounds.

An event organized by Schwebeklang e.V. in cooperation with INSEL.

Price information:

Admission: 13/5 (VVK incl. fees) and 15/5 (B.O.)