Khyam Allami – UK
Khyam Allami was born to an Iraqi family in Damascus, Syria, in 1981 and brought up in London from the age of 9. His passion for music began at a tender age in Syria when he played the role of a young violinist in an art house film. Currently, Khyam Allami is performing as an ‘Ud (Oud) soloist and is concluding his studies in Ethnomusicology at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London. Meanwhile he is working on original compositions, that lean more towards the contemporary as opposed to tradition, under the artistic influence of Frank Zappa, Naseer Shamma, King Crimson, Secret Chiefs 3, Riyad Al-Sunbati, Philip Glass, Jaz Coleman and many others.
http://www.myspace.com/khyamallami