About US

Makam Salam
Music Collective Across Borders

Our Story

Makam Salam emerged from a simple conviction: music can build bridges where politics cannot. Initially an experiment in improvisation between Middle Eastern and jazz musicians, it quickly evolved into a collective and wider movement, gaining momentum and a strong following among a deeply impacted audience.

Today, we're a collective of accomplished artists from Palestinian, Israeli, Iranian, Lebanese, Turkish, Kurdish, Tunisian, Moroccan, and Jewish and Arab diaspora backgrounds. We're based in London, but rooted in traditions that span the wider Middle East region for millennia. Our work isn't about politics, but about demonstrating through our actual practice the discipline of regular and deep collaboration, shared decision-making, and collective harmony - that something beautiful becomes possible when we create together across differences.

Our Sound

We fuse Middle Eastern music and each of our regional roots - with contemporary jazz fusion and improvisation.

Maqam provides the foundation: rich melodic frameworks passed down through generations, each mode carrying its own emotional landscape and cultural memory - and is reflected across middle-eastern, medditerenean cultures, and even some shared elements with Jewish diaspora music.
Jazz & fusion brings harmonic flexibility, rhythmic freedom, an electrifying upbeat groove, and improvisational dialogue.
Our ensemble features piano/keys, oud, drums, clarinet, violin, bass, and voices - plus additional instruments that vary by performance - from ney flutes & saxophones, to more singers in harmonies. The result is genre-defying music that honors ancestral wisdom while embracing contemporary expression. Every performance has improvisation and dialogue. Every performance is collective. We prioritize ensemble sound over individual virtuosity, and we create space for audience participation.

OUR MEMBERS

FEATURED ARTISTS

MIRA AWAD

Award-winning, internationally acclaimed artist and artivist of Palestinian heritage.
Mira has performed at the Eurovision, collaborated with Bobby McFerrin, Noa, Andrea Bocelli, members of The Rolling Stones and Genesis, and just recently opened the Italian SanRemo Music Festival.

Olcay Bayir

“One of the finest, most intriguing singers on the British world music scene ....” – The Guardian

Acclaimed as the "Queen of Anatolian song in the West" (Heaven Magazine), of Kurdish-Alevi origin, collaborating deeply and regularly with Makam Salam.

Bayir performs regularly at Festivals like WOMAD, MusicPort World Music Festival, Sidmouth and many more.

Olcay is a core part of Makam Salam's collective, collaborating regularly together.

Çiğdem Aslan

"Aslan sings up a storm ... of wild, haunted beauty." – Songlines Magazine

Turkish-Kurdish artist acclaimed for her vibrant interpretations of Rebetiko and Anatolian folk song, performs in Turkish, Greek, Kurdish, Ladino and more.

A regular collaborator with Makam Salam and beloved across Europe’s top stages (WOMAD festival, Royal Albert Hall, Cadogan Hall, BBC Radio), Aslan brings deep cultural roots and electrifying performances, weaving tradition with cross-cultural innovation at the heart of the collective.

CORE BAND MEMBERS

Tomer Eldor
Piano/Keys, Voice

Tomer Eldor is a jazz pianist, composer, and musical director from Tel Aviv - specialising in jazz, world music and vocal harmonies. He has previously performed at the London EFG Jazz Festival, alongside artists such as Noa, BENJA (Grammy Award winner), Ofri Nehemya, Seckou Keita, and Tony Kofi. Eldor's music is shaped by living and playing across South America, India, Europe, and the US, and by directing ensembles and orchestras since the age of 16.

Daniel Gouly
Clarinet

Dr Daniel Gouly is a composer, sound designer, and clarinettist whose work bridges Eastern European, Mediterranean, and diasporic traditions. As co-founder of the award-winning ensemble Don Kipper, he has toured internationally and performed at top UK and Europe festivals, alongside extensive theatre work across the UK. His interdisciplinary projects span cross-cultural collaborations, inclusive performance design, and academic research as part of his PhD in music.

Rita Issa
Violin, Voice

Dr. Rita Issa is a Lebanese-British violinist and vocalist.
She has collaborated with the Trials of Cato (Best Album in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards), United Freedom Collective, and other acclaimed artists, blending sounds from British folk and across the SWANA region.

Baha Yetkin
Oud

Baha Yetkin is an internationally acclaimed oud virtuoso, composer, and educator from Istanbul, blending Anatolian maqam traditions with contemporary, jazz, and flamenco influences. Now based in London, he has performed across Europe and led masterclasses at Cambridge and SOAS universities. His work spans concerts, multicultural collaborations, and major theatre productions, showcasing his distinctive Antaolian voice.

Oliver Kourosh
Percussion/Drums

Oliver Kourosh is an Iranian-British drummer and multi-instrumentalist. He plays drums, piano, guitar, percussion, hang drum, and any instrument he’d seen. He's performed at the Royal Albert Hall, Reading Festival Leeds Festival, Ronnie Scott’s and many of UK’s top stages.

David Mordechai
Percussion/Drums

David Mordechai is a London-based jazz percussionist who has led multiple projects to performances at the London Jazz Festival. His touring career includes appearances at Southbank Centre, Jazz Café, and the V&A Museum, as well as the Birmingham Hippodrome, Shambala, Wilderness and Brainchild festivals, and Bogotá’s Iberoamerican International Theatre Festival.

Shahd Karaeen

Poetry / Spoken Word / Visual Art

Shahd Karaeen is a Palestinian poet, spoken-word and visual artist, now based in the UK. She collaborates closely with Makam Salam through shared spoken-word performance and co-writing original song lyrics. Formerly an award-winning entrepreneur (High Street Hero 2023; Wandsworth Women Enterprise runner-up 2024), her artistic practice is rooted in heritage, women’s rights and community advocacy. Deeply inspired by her father’s journalism legacy - her work explores resilience, dignity and justice across word, sound and image.

Wider Collective - Flexible Ensemble

Makam Salam's wider collective includes other acclaimed artists and performers from varying styles - from Berber Diffusion regular collaborations, experts of Gnawa music in London, to Ofer Peled's Ney and world flutes' ephemeral sounds.

Based on performance and context, Makam Salam selects the best configuration from their wider collective of artists to best fit the performance.

From intimate shows with as few as 6 members, to a full ensemble concert with 12 musicians - best for a fuller collaborative showcase and richer sound - each configuration maintains our signature sound while offering unique energy and expanded musical possibilities.