Kamal Musallam is an excitingly unique artist whose music carries a distinctive, pleasant flavor that is simultaneously unexpected and refreshing. His musical journey innocently began with his mother gifting him a piano at a tender age of 3, and from then on there was simply no looking back. An architect by profession, Kamal Musallam realized that music was his true calling in 1997, when he became a part of Ziad Rahbani’s ensemble. He was then at a crossroads to choose between a career in architecture or music. His decision to explore the world of music imposed several demands on him, there’s no doubt that it has been a fantastically rewarding journey so far.
To the uninspired ear, jazz and Arabic music are not flavours that generally go well together. However, Musallam elegantly merges the two diverse worlds of jazz and Arabic music to create a truly one-of-a-kind musical treasure. Musallam is as passionate about Arabic music as he is about contemporary jazz. As a child, Kamal was trained to play the Oud, a traditional string instrument of the Middle East and also the acoustic guitar. His knowledge and passion in playing these instruments inspired him to merge the two and produce a whole new genre in the musical world.
With Dubai as his music laboratory and home, Kamal has successfully established his three active bands, Kamal Musallam group, Kamal Musallam Trio and Eastmania. From performing in small cafe’s to performing at huge music festivals, Kamal has tasted success at every level. With an ultimate goal to constantly play live and reach out to more people, this Jordanian artist sets out to travel across countless countries and participates in numerous festivals to introduce his music to the world and strike a special chord with his audience.
