A quiet corner of Café Ritorno in Stockholm marks the origin of the exciting connection between two musicians that was to develop into an unexpected friendship. One is Yinon Muallem, born in Israel to parents of Iraqi origin. The virtuoso on the Arabic oud has spent the last 20 years in Istanbul, where he searched in vain for a partner with the same musical ideas and imagination. In vain until this day in Stockholm and the connection with Saman Alias. For their joint album 2gether, the duo travelled through Israel and Turkey, where the music was created and the two formed a bond that would go far beyond the music on the album. It is the story of Muallem's ancestors, Jewish immigrants who came to Israel from Baghdad in 1950. And that of Saman Alias, a Jewish soul who found her way from Kurdistan and Iraq to Sweden. A story that gave rise to the album 2gether, a symbol of the connection between two worlds. The joint album presents eight tracks written by Yinon Muallem and Saman Alia. These include the traditional Turkish song Dun Gece and the English song The Journey. The multi-layered musical repertoire draws its inspiration from the maquam music of the Middle East and utilises elements of jazz. They are joined by guest musicians from Sweden and Israel, who contribute their very own influences to a fascinating overall sound.
