EPK | Faris Ishaq

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About

Bethlehem-born Palestinian Nay virtuoso and percussionist Faris Ishaq reimagines the Nay as a self-sustained sonic landscape, drawing audiences into an immediate and evolving musical language.

Rooted in the breath of the Nay—a Middle Eastern flute with a 5,000-year history—Faris draws from his Palestinian and Arabic musical heritage, refracted through contemporary jazz improvisation and cross-cultural exchange. His distinctive performance setup pairs the Nay with a leg-mounted frame drum, weaving breath-led improvisation, rhythmic drive, and layered acoustic textures across solo, ensemble, and orchestral contexts.

A frequent collaborator, he has released Supplication with multi–Grammy Award-winning bassist John Patitucci and contributed as a recording artist to the BAFTA-nominated Assassin’s Creed Mirage soundtrack. His discography includes Tripolarity (2019), Nature Addresses You (2021), Kham (2023), and JASAD (2026), alongside the premiere of A Wildscape, his original concerto for Nay and orchestra.

A Berklee Global Jazz graduate, he was awarded Best Student for his work bridging Arabic tetrachords and jazz improvisation. He is a recipient of the UK Global Talent Visa (Exceptional Leader), endorsed by Arts Council England, and is currently based in London.

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.

JASAD SOLO

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.

Kham, meaning "Raw" in Arabic, is inspired by the Nay’s raw material (reed cane), guiding Faris’s artistic exploration on a path to honor it’s roots and uncover the ultimate and innate performance potential of this minimal instrument.

In this unique quartet, Faris is joined by exceptional artists who share similar aspirations with their instruments: Australian jazz harpist and vocalist Tara Minton, Nigerian-British percussionist and talking drummer Richard Olatunde, and Italian jazz vocalist Germana La Sorsa. Together, they create an intricate dialogue between the Nay, harp, talking drum, and human voice.

KHAM Quartet

Blending timeless sounds with contemporary artistry, the Kham quartet explores the full depth of acoustic expression. In concert, they perform Faris’s original compositions and arrangements, weaving Palestinian folk and Arabic classical traditions with global jazz influences.

For Faris, “Raw” is not just a sound — it is a belief in the inherent potential of every idea, material, and human being.

A WILDSCAPE Concerto

A Wildscape, composed and arranged by Faris Ishaq, is a Nay Concerto blending Palestinian traditional music through a unique orchestral arrangement.

Written for the Nay—one of the oldest flutes still in use, with deep Palestinian and Middle Eastern roots (ca. 5000 B.C.)—the work illuminates the rich melodic-percussive language of Palestinian Tashbib, while creating seamless musical connections with Western contemporary classical music and global jazz influences.

In the concerto, Faris demonstrates extended Nay techniques he has developed for the instrument. Through a rich palette of multiphonics, percussive sounds, and acoustic Nay effects, he brings the instrument’s full expressive potential to life.

"In the current wilderness we are living in, and the many chaotic structures we have build opposing our humanity and connection to Nature, my Nay is echoing and attempting to forge it’s path in A Wildscape." — Faris Ishaq

Press Reviews

“A Walking Musical Genius" - Max Reinhard, former BBC Radio 3

"When the Nay Flute moves towards the authentic self, The soul gradually moves towards the unknown. There is such brilliance in this esteemed work" - Le Trio Joubran, Samir Joubran

“Fantastic job. You bring a whole different way of improvising as a result of the immense presence of the ancient nay. This project demonstrates the incredible musical era of exchange we are presently living through which anything can happen.... No more rules!! And John Coltrane front and center...John would’ve loved it.” - Dave Liebman, legendary jazz saxophonist