Drunken Greek from Hijaz + Strings by Hijaz

On her fifth album, Hijaz observes the world around her during a pandemic and the climate crisis. They make you feel this up close, as if you were there yourself. In addition, Hijaz continues to deliver songs in their signature sound with a focus on dialogue between the musicians. In Drunken Greek, pianist Niko Deman with Greek roots drunkenly walks through the Athens of his youth, a cross between a Balkan and klezmer melody in his head.

Hijaz is a multicultural group that combines Eastern melodies with improvised jazz. Their music is based on the dialogue between oud and piano. ‘Hijaz’ refers to the Arabic musical scale but also holds a clear reference to jazz.

More than ten years already, the band is weaving an intriguing web of Mediterranean warmth, polyrhythmic structures and musical virtuosity.