Iraqi tradition meets American innovation: That’s the story behind Salaam, a band founded by the multi-talented Dena El Saffar, the daughter of a 12th-generation American mother and an Iraqi immigrant father and who plays violin, viola, oud, joza (a four-stringed spike fiddle) and sings.

Given the extended clan’s propensity for musical experimentation, it’s not surprising that the textures are surprising and yet light and lovely, such as on the album’s title track, in which El Saffar evokes the long-faded memories of her father’s childhood rail rides from Baghdad to Basra — in a tune underpinned by a double bass.

Share