Zaman Al Zaatar زمن الزعتر

Zaman al-Zaatar (Sign of Thyme) is an oriental fusion band led by Yacoub Abu Ghosh, a widely acknowledged composer and bass guitarist who plays in Jordan and throughout the region. Ghosh is the co-founder of various other performance projects too, including Music Matbakh, RUM, Tareq al-Nasser and Black Iris.

Formed in 2004, the band has three albums under its belt: “Like All People” (2005), “Zad” (2007), and their most recent, “Al-Khubz” (2012), which was released exclusively online and distributed for free.

Zaman Al Zaatar is an ongoing attempt to express - through music - the extreme diversity of influences that one is subjected to by living in this place (Amman) and time, and by that portraying the capability of spiritual and emotional growth within the society in Amman and the whole region. The beauty in Zaman Al Zaatar’s music could be a reflection of every face one may encounter on the streets of our cities.

The band has performed in many venues and festivals locally and regionally and enjoys a considerable following in most big cities in the middle east.

As a live act Zaman Al Zaatar employs a unique arrangement of western and Middle Eastern instruments to properly accentuate the fusion of styles that combined produce the sound of the band. They also rely strongly on the improvisational abilities of the band members to add color to the band’s performance and insure that the same show is never played the same way twice.. 

Yacoub Abu Ghosh, Bass Guitar

Zaman Al Zaatar's band leader and co-founder, Yacoub is a well established and respected composer and bass guitarist in Jordan and in the region, he is also one of the few who are dedicated to this field with close to 16 years of experience, he performed all over Europe, the Middle East and North Africa with many different musical outfits such as Music Matbakh, RUM Tareq Al Nasser and Black Iris. Yacoub recently released his first personal album entitled As Blue As the Rivers of Amman. He studied law at the University of Jordan & worked as a journalist for the Jordan Times daily and other publications such as JO magazine before becoming a full time musician. 

Ahmad Barakat, Oud

Another co-founder of the group, Ahmad is a true prodigy with his instrument, with excellent improvisational skills and vast theoretical and practical knowledge even at his fairly young age. Ahmed played with a number of renowned groups and musicians in Amman and Beirut such as Jafra and Shahadeen Ya Baladna. Ahmad is a civil engineer; he graduated from the University of Jordan in 2007. 

Nasser Salameh, percussion

Nasser is an excellent self-taught musician, specializing in Middle Eastern and world percussion with a noticeable talent that has led him to participate in many festivals in Europe and the Middle East. He was awarded the first prize for best musician in the pan-Jordanian Universities’ competition in 1999 and 2000. He performed with many groups and musical outfits, such as Rum Tareq Al Nasser, Nawazen and Karloma. He also worked as a percussion teacher at the National Conservatory of Music in Palestine. 

Yarub Smeirat, Violin

One of the most recognized violinists in Jordan, in addition to performing with numerous musical outfits locally and internationally and in both the traditional Arabic, pop, rock, jazz and classical styles, Yarub recently produced a unique show where he lead a considerable ensemble performing his own compositions and some classical Arabic tunes. Yarub is most well known for his unique abilities in improvisation on traditional maqams and the fluidity of his expression. 

Maan Al Sayyed, Percussion

Maan is a young percussionist who has already accumulated considerable experience performing with many bands and outfits including Sharq, Shoo Hal Ayyam and Makadi Nahhas. A true backbone of groove and rhythm who masters many percussion styles and instruments from the Spanish cajon to the traditional Arabic riq.

 WEB SITE

  Zaman Al Zaatar زمن الزعتر - Al Khubz الخبز

01 Alwisal
02 Raje3
03 Karamat
04 Al Khubz
05 Barada
06 Ya Asmarani
07 Um Aldunya
08 Sama3i Ihsan (Nawa Athar)
09 Alsa7rawi

HERE




Yacoub Abu Ghosh & Zaman El Zaatar @ Makan 14.4.2013 يعقوب أبو غوش و زمن الزعتر @ مكان from Mohamed El Gayar on Vimeo.