South African guitarist Derek Gripper and the Iraqi-American oud virtuoso Rahim AlHaj offer a kind of musical family affair, as the Arab oud is generally considered to be the ancestor of the modern guitar. Gripper earned international acclaim (and more than a few “how did he do that?” reactions) for his collection of West African kora music, transcribed from that 21-string harp to a standard 6-string classical guitar. AlHaj has taken the centuries-old tradition of Arab classical music and blended it with the sounds of contemporary Western music.
Both have long lists of collaborators, including Gripper’s album with American world music cellist Mike Block and AlHaj’s work with the Native American poet Joy Harjo. 2025 marks the first year that their global musical orbits come together. – John Schaefer

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John Schaefer is the host and producer of WNYC’s long-running new music show New Sounds (“The #1 radio show for the Global Village” – Billboard), founded in 1982, and its innovative Soundcheck podcast, which has featured live performances and interviews with a variety of guests since 2002. He created the New Sounds Live concert series in 1986, which features new works, commissioned pieces, and a special series devoted to live music for silent films.