Adam Maalouf: Far From Home
The official music video of "Far From Home" taken from the debut album "Far From Home" by world music and classical music breakthrough artist and composer Adam Maalouf, from North Carolina. An Acusa Films film production, produced, directed and edited by Vincenzo Siracusa.
"Far From Home" is Adam Maalouf's debut album as a solo artist. Through cello, hang drums and percussion from many musical styles of the world, Adam weaves his performances taking the listener on an epic journey. In Adam's music you will hear influence from many of the worlds musical traditions including those from India, the Middle East, Spain, Africa, and South America.
Adam Maalouf's music is found where the modern meets the ancient, where the Pantam (or handpan) meets ancient and traditional styles of music from around the globe brought together using both organic and electronic drums, beats and synthesizers. Pan-tam is the name of the "flying saucer" instrument invented in the year 2000, and the word stems from the combination of the Pan from Trinidad, and the Ghatam (clay pot drum) from South India. Adam's unique musical style comes to life in genre-bending compositions for solo and ensembles incorporating global musicians.
A New York City based composer and performer, Adam has shared his music in venues across the world including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, MoMA, St. Basil's Cathedral, Tanglewood, Wolf Trap, The BANFF Center and Austin City Limits. As a collaborator, Adam has performed with ensembles such as The Brooklyn Raga Massive, Pink Martini, Ensemble Signal, The Atlanta Symphony, The National Arabic Orchestra, The Asheville Percussion All-Stars and The Gil Evan's Centennial Project, and with artists such as Steve Reich, Eugene Frisen, Kygo, Drukmo Gyal Dakini, Lizz Wright, Jamey Haddad, Farah Siraj, Morley and many others. Adam performs regularly as a solo artist and with his world music project "Future Tribe".
Adam holds a BA in Percussion Performance from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY and MBA in Music Business from Berklee School of Music. After school, curiosity drew Adam to India and the Middle East to study under renowned hand-percussion masters Anindo Chatterjee, Rohan Krishnamurthy, River Guerguerian, Glen Velez.
Adam approaches teaching music through a diverse and well-rounded rhythmic and musical vocabulary that will take students on a global journey around the Middle East, India, Cuba, Brazil, and beyond. In 2012 co-created the Asheville Percussion Festival in North Carolina with teacher and mentor River Guerguerian. This is a current and annual event where top percussionists from around the world descend on the peaceful mountain city for one week in June. A week-long collaboration between these artists results in weekend concerts and percussion workshops for all levels and ages. Adam recently taught workshops in Middle Eastern Rhythm and Live Looping with Ableton at the Griasdi Handpan and World Music Festival in Haag, Austria and he regularly hosts workshops and retreats in New York area.
Adam Maalouf is a Lebanese-American musical artist. Drawing influence from many of the world's musical styles, Adam's unique compositional approach forms a common thread between the cultures of the East and West. Blurring the lines between World Music, Jazz, and Electronica.
Adam has studied and taught percussions for many years and has recently created The Maalouf School of Percussive Arts, teaching people of all walks of life and of different levels, the art of percussion. His workshops cover everything from the basics of pantam anatomy, technique and rhythm to more advanced concepts of composition, improvisation, ensemble playing and jamming. Together, we will explore melodic and rhythmic ideas from the musical cultures of the Middle East, India, Iran, Spain. This workshop will help the aspiring pantam player solidify the basics and develop a well-rounded approach to the instrument, all the while becoming free and feeling natural behind your instrument.
The Handpan
Handpan is a term for a group of musical instruments resulting from a growing worldwide interest in the Hang, an instrument invented and built by the company PANArt Hangbau AG.Properties adopted from the Hang by most handpans are the basic form consisting of two metal half-shells glued together, a center tone field surrounded by a circle of at least seven tone fields on the upper side and an opening in the bottom side. Differences as compared to the Hang are the used materials, the manufacturing processes of the raw forms, the shaping of the tone fields and the tuning methods. Some handpans are also different from the basic tone field layout of the Hang.
The term handpan first appeared online in the fall of 2007 on the website of an American steelpan producer Pantheon Steel. It was used to describe its own development of a new instrument which was launched as an alternative to the Hang.