Interview: Jazz and Syria Quintet with Reese Erlich

By Ben Trefny

Published October 15, 2014 at 6:08 PM PDT

Oud player Coralie Russo and percussionist Vince Delgado are part of the Jazz and Syria Quintet

Since the Arab Spring, the world has been watching armed conflict escalate in Syria. This Friday, the 17th of October, the Bay Area has a chance to consider the war-torn country in a different way -- by how it sounds.

Classical Syrian music gets an American interpretation at the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley. The Jazz and Syria Quintet will perform and participate in a discussion hosted by award-winning journalist Reese Erlich.

Erlich dropped by our studio with quintet members Vince DelGado and Coralie Russo.

Click the audio player above to hear the entire interview.

Crosscurrents

Ben Trefny

I joined KALW in 2004. As Executive News Editor and then News Director, I helped our news department win numerous regional and national awards for long- and short-form journalism. I've also helped create numerous training programs — for teenagers, incarcerated people, and early-career journalists — and have taught hundreds of audio producers. I served as interim Executive Director for nearly two years. My work is currently focused on creating original live events, programming, and building partnerships with like-minded organizations.

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