JASAD
JASAD (Body) - A breath-driven manifesto by Palestinian Nay virtuoso and percussionist Faris Ishaq, reimagining the Nay—a Middle Eastern flute with a 5,000-year lineage—as a contemporary, self-sustained acoustic landscape.
Performing the Nay alongside a leg-mounted frame drum, the JASAD setup was born from the Nay’s raw intensity. Made of reed cane, with no mouthpiece or mechanics, it responds solely to the player’s breath and intention—a quality celebrated in JASAD as living technology.
Trading electronic effects for acoustic illusions, Faris creates an array of breath-led extended techniques and intricate rhythms, woven live with his soulful lyricism into an immersive, multi-layered acoustic solo.
In collaboration with PRS Foundation & AFAC
Steeped from a young age in Dabke dance, he blends its earthy footwork with the rhythmic improvisational Nay tradition of Tashbib, shaping a visceral synergy of Palestinian breath and culture. Infused with his Global Jazz sensibilities, his original compositions move seamlessly between the rich Arabic Maqam modalities and fierce, Coltrane-inspired arrangements—igniting an evolving dialogue between Tashbib and jazz.
Reflecting on an increasingly digitised world, JASAD rekindles the quiet dialogue between breath, body, and our surrounding living landscape. By weaving cultural memory with contemporary expression, it celebrates the Nay as a living artefact—rooted, evolving, and present.