Classical Arabic music, the raw expressivity of Shaabi music, psychedelic improvisation, krautrock riffs

The Handover – featuring Jonas Cambien (BE/NO) on keys, Aly Eissa (EG) on oud and Ayman Asfour EG) on violin - is an acclaimed trio. They masterfully combine the intricacies of classical Arab music with the raw expressivity of Egyptian rural and Shaabi music, laced with a decent dose of psychedelic improvisation, krautrock riffs and experimental sounds. In 2024, their self-titled album was released on the American cult label Sublime Frequencies which Alan and Sir Richard Bishop founded.
“The most remarkable element to the music is how locked in the players are. There’s a clear knowledge of and engagement with the traditional forms, but the musicians freely eschew formal constraints, trusting in spontaneous, shapeshifting interplay that only grows more ferocious and forceful as the piece unfolds, pushing toward an inexorable conclusion as powerfully felt as any crescendo you’d hear in a free jazz performance.” (The Wire)