Qotob Trio

Qotob Trio is a relatively new name in the musical landscape, presenting their first album on the Brussels label and artist collective Choux de Bruxelles. The instrumental album 'Entity' sounds cinematic and adventurous. The sound is reminiscent of the intimate yet vivid ECM releases by Anouar Brahem and of the exotic Arab jazz by Rabih Abou-Khalil, Dhafer Youssef, and Marcel Khalife. It is a musical experience in which everybody can find themselves. Poetic piano play, an accordion alternating between melancholy and joy, and the deep but serene cello provide an exceptional musical journey. The album reflects the many challenges of life, defending and embracing sensitivity and beauty in an ever-changing world.

Qotob was created by the Syrian musician Bassel Abou Fakher who, still in Damascus in 2015, recorded an EP with Qotob in one of the most conflict-ridden areas in the world. That album, therefore, was almost fully dedicated to the healing, holy power of music. Qotob Trio continues to embrace the power of cooperation and dialogue but at the same time seeks to break and push boundaries, starting with the classic but artificial divide between East (Damascus) and West (Brussels).

This new album, “Entity,” could be considered as a crossroads within the heart of Brussels - the multilingual, multicultural metropolis that is constantly brimming with the most diverse sounds and inspirations. That, too, exactly reflects the core of the group, with the three band members, Bassel Abou Fakher (cello), Jean-Baptiste Delneuville (piano), and Piet Maris (accordion), all with their own very specific social and musical backgrounds, sharing, exchanging, and combining their diverse influences and experiences, together in this new, innovative project.