Faris Ishaq

A World-Renowned Palestinian Nay Master, Global Jazz Flutist, and Composer. Known for his virtuosity of the ancient flutes “Nay” and an expectational artistry that enabled him to develop a unique instrumental setting, in which he plays the Nay Flute while accompanying himself on leg-percussion and frame drum simultaneously. In today's modern musical landscape, he is on a mission to unlock the maximum potential of the Nay. While facing stigma often associated with its perceived limitations, he's been able to defy such expectations, performing in demanding idioms such as jazz and other world music traditions.

In 2021, Faris has released a solo album entitled “NAY: Nature Addresses You”, in which with it has performed in major World Music and Jazz Festivals such as the London Jazz Festival and Panama Jazz Festival. During this year also, he has received the recognition and partnership with International Jazz Day, becoming the first musician to present Palestine annually in this global event. In his recent solo-concert and while honoring his cultural heritage, Faris sheds light on the Nay as a global flute, where he expands it’s musical expressions from melodic to percussive and harmonic sounds that cross over Jazz, Indian Classical Music and many other world music traditions. His contemporary style of composition is a thematic explorations and improvisations that create a holistic self- exploration journey for the listener.

In 2018, Faris graduated from the “Global Jazz” Master program at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he was given the "Matt Marvuglio" award for elevating Nay Performance and incorporating arabic music into Jazz. Pushing the boundaries of his instrument, he performed with numerous world-class jazz musicians such as Danilo Perez and George Garzone. Later in 2019 Faris released his debut album “Tripolarity”, the first jazz album for Nay and jazz quartet. Being himself a certified music therapist, Faris honors all who suffered from Mental Health Stigmas and encourages a different perspective to break free of this stigma and honor instead one’s individuality and power in finding balance again. In the album Faris showcases his unique approach of blending classical arabic poetry meters into his improvisation and composition, in which his debut album “Tripolarity” contains fresh and innovative rhythms that derives from his poems. Faris is currently based in London, UK.

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