‘In orbit, you’re keyed up and aware of everything going on, every little noise, anything that may have special meaning because of where you are.’– John Glenn

Madar (literarily an ‘Orbit’) is a group of five musicians from the Netherlands, Palestine, Jordan and Tunisia. With genuine curiosity for and understanding of each other’s musical language, they have come together with the purpose of creating something new, built on a deeply shared respect for the qualities of their various musical worlds.

Acamar, from the Arabic Ākhir an-nahr, meaning "the end of the river", is a star located in the constellation Eridanus, variously associated by ancient astronomers with rivers across the Mediterranean and Middle-East, including the Nile, Po and Euphrates. The music in this album is inspired by the classical civilizations of Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean, and which relied in daily life upon an understanding of the cosmos.

TONY OVERWATER is one of the most notable Dutch bass players. He is a versatile musician, composer, soloist, band leader and supervisor in the Netherlands and far beyond. He graduated with honors from the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. He won the VPRO / Boy Edgar Prize, the Podium Prize, and an Edison. He worked with extraordinary musicians, including Karin Hammar, Yuri Honing, Pat Metheny, David Murray, Paolo Fresu, Eric Vloeimans and many others. Overwater is also known as an expert organizer. During his time at the conservatory, he founded the Jazz in Motion Foundation and the accompanying record label. | DIFFERENT FORMATIONS Overwater shares his passion for jazz, Arabic music and baroque music with the other members of the Rembrandt Frerichs Trio. With this trio, he began playing the violone; a 6-string bass instrument from the Baroque era, predecessor of the double bass. Overwater has been playing with the trio Jungle Boldie for over twenty years, with Maarten Ornstein on reeds and drummer Wim Kegel. This close formation formed the basis for a number of original projects, such as Far East Revisited with the Calefax Reed Quintet and the CD ‘OP’ with Ack van Rooyen and Ernst Reijseger, which received an Edison. Inspired by working with Lebanese singer Rima Khcheich, Tony Overwater developed a new style of playing on the double bass, incorporating the techniques and scales of Arabic music into a unique style. Working with various other bands and musicians, they form a much sought after attraction at festivals in the Middle East and Europe. Music for children has always had a special place in the heart of Overwater. He sees it as his mission to bring jazz and acoustic music of quality to the attention of kids. After the project Kikker Swingt! (Frog Swings!) with Max Velthuijs, he developed various other music shows together with singer-songwriter Lotte van Dijck. | PROJECT ORGANIZATION AND DOCUMENTARY MUSIC Being an architect’s son, Tony Overwater has a fascination for the visual aspects of music. In addition to writing music for various films, documentaries and dance shows, he and Joshua Samson initiated the ‘Guarder of the Key’ Project. A location-based concert, taking place on a set day of the month. Each time the performance is held at a different, secret, location and always with a different guest. The interaction between architecture, environment, music, musicians and the audience makes this special small-scale project a unique experience. Overwater recorded the music for the documentary Om de Oude Wereldzee about Abraham Kuyper, combining his expertise and affinity with Arabic music and classical European music.

Violinist, composer, musicologist and teacher, Jasser Haj Youssef is one of the most outstanding musicians of his generation.

Jasser Haj Youssef plays viola d’amore, classical violin, composes, directs and performs with numerous artists from all walks of life from Barbara Hendricks to Youssou N’Dour or Sister Marie Keyrouz, stars of the opera world and the flamboyant diva Simone Kermes.

Graduated with a degree in Music, Musicology and Education, Jasser performs worldwide and recently he directed the Chamber Orchestra of Paris at the Philharmonie of Paris, in France.

The tunisian prodigy records his first album SIRA with his jazz quartet, classic and baroque musicians. Sira music is inspired by the Arabic Maqâm and Jazz.

Through his latest album RESONANCE, « Jasser Haj Youssef has opened a new way for the viola d’amore (a huge baroque violin with seven melodious strings and a variable number of nice strings) offering all modern oriental music liberties… Played by him, the viola d’amore becomes the most ecstatic and confidential instrument in the history of music. Jasser Haj Youssef surprises, upsets and transforms. »

Poetic, with a plural creation that opens the horizon and liberates music.

Nizar Rohana is a Palestinian ud player based in the Netherlands, distinguished for combining virtuosity within fresh contemporary compositions while maintaining the ud’s authentic language.

Rohana was born in the village of 'Isifya on Mount Carmel near Haifa city to a father who played ud in communal celebrations and a mother who accompanied him on percussions. From a young age, Rohana played music, picking up the ud when he was 13.

Following extensive studies in ud performance, composition, and musicology, Rohana immersed himself in developing contemporary ud compositions, taking inspiration from the practices of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin and Brahms all the way to Tanburi Cemil Bey, Kemani Tatyus Efendi, Muhammad Al-Qasabji and Muhammad Abdel Wahab.

In 2001 he was awarded a Bachelor of Music and Arts (specialisms in ud performance and musicology) from the Arabic Music Department of the Jerusalem Academy for Music and Dance and the Musicology Department of the Hebrew University. For some time he then focused his work on the music of the great Egyptian composer Muhammad Al-Qasabji, completing his Master’s degree in 2006.

Since September 2013, Rohana has been based in the Netherlands pursuing his PhD in improvisation and composition in solo ud performance at Leiden University Academy for Creative and Performing Arts. He is working under the supervision of Prof. Joep Bor, Prof. Frans De Ruiter and Dr Anne Van Oostrum, as part of the doctoral programme designed for musician-researchers, docARTES.

As a performer, Rohana’s wide stage experience as a soloist and within groups encompasses playing traditional, modern, experimental and world music. During the last fifteen years, he performed in countries such as Japan, Morocco, Egypt, Turkey and in the USA and Europe, releasing his first album Sard (Narration) in May 2008.

In 2013 he formed his own trio together with the Hungarian double bass player Matyas Szandai, and French-Lebanese percussionist Wassim Halal, releasing their debut album Furat (Euphrates) in 2016.

In 2015, Rohana was invited by the renowned Dutch bass player Tony Overwater to participate in the music recordings for the recent IKON documentary series 'Om de Oude Wereldzee' (‘Around the Ancient World Sea’), based on the travels of Dutch politician Abraham Kuyper. In 2016, Overwater and Rohana formed Madar Ensemble together with the Dutch clarinettist Maarten Ornestein; Tunisian violinist and viola d’amore player Jasser Haj Youssef and Jordanian percussionist Nasser Salameh. Their debut album will be released in May 2019.

Between 2001 and 2007 Rohana was one of the main ud and music theory teachers at the Edward Said National Conservatory in Jerusalem, Ramallah and Bethlehem, and in 2006 he also worked as the deputy for academic affairs.