The Arab Blues traces the call of tradition from the Arab world through the response of the diaspora. The basis of their work is the Turath, the canon of classical Arab compositions and improvisational techniques. This rich heritage of melodic and rhythmic exposition and instrumental interaction exists at countless levels of depth. These forms are interpreted in the context of the sounds of the contemporary North American metropole: the lush traditions of Blues and Jazz in Chicago. This marriage of forms is fruitful because of the emotional range of the Blues and the improvisational flexibility and ingenuity of Jazz.

The Arab Blues was developed by Native Lebanese oud and guitar player Rami Gabriel through a research fellowship at the Center for Black Music Research, two Illinois Artist grants, and a decade of experience as a jazz and blues musician in Chicago. Native Egyptian percussionist Karim Nagi, a 2-time beneficiary of the Doris Duke Building Bridges grant for Muslim Artists, a TEDx speaker, and accomplished teacher completes this duo with his energetic & lyrical rhythms on Riqq, Tublah and alternatively assembled drum-set.

Chicago inspires the duo to amplify and expand the sound of our Arab folk traditions by discovering the trajectory of the community's music amidst the future of our sound. The Arab Blues’s synthesis is accessible, gritty, and exhilarating, and Nagi is a born performer—he always seems to be having the time of his life onstage. He and Gabriel create a sound that’s sometimes graceful, sometimes bracingly noisy, like a Middle Eastern garage band.