The Sounds of Taraab is a newly formed ensemble made up of musicians from both the Near Eastern and African musical traditions who came together to explore and perform the music of Zanzibar and East Africa.

Popular in the cities of Africa's eastern coast, taraab is a genre that is a hybrid of Arabic, Indian and Swahili African styles.

The Sounds of Taraab endeavor to share with audiences their experiences with this wonderful music, an exciting genre sure to please afficionados of world music.

The Sounds of Taraab are:

Alsarah - vocals
Ismail Butera - accordion & vocals
Haig Manoukian - oud
Michael Hess - violin & nai flute
Tiye Giraud - shekere, pandero, Madagascar
brushes, clay pot, dumbek, vocals
Nicole LeCorgne - dumbek, daff, riq

and Guest Artist Sejal Kukadia - Indian Tablas