Khyam Allami is an ‘ūd (or oud) player and composer. Born to Iraqi parents in Damascus, Syria and raised in London from the age of nine, Allami started learning violin in Damascus. he went on to play rock drums in London, before taking two music degrees from the School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London). He took up the oud in 2004. In 2010 Khyam was the first recipient of the BBC Radio 3 World Routes Academy mentorship programme, which saw him perform at WOMAD and the BBC Proms. There followed much press attention, high profile concerts and various live and recorded collaborations with artists varying from Seattle-based Master Musicians of Bukkake to Iraqi pop singer Ilham al-Madfa'i. His debut solo oudalbum, Resonance/Dissonance (released on his own label Nawa Recordings), is a double-disc, featuring a solo studio recording on the CD and a live performance of the entire album (accompanied by percussionist Vasilis Sarikis) on the DVD. The album is based on the system of maqams (the modal system of Middle Eastern music). Unusual approaches to the maqams combine with original, highly structured and detailed “composed-improvisations”. Khyam Allami also plays drums in Knifeworld, led by Kavus Torabi. Sites: YouTube, SoundCloud, Wikipedia and KhyamAllami.com (official)
