“Les Arrivants” is a gathering of musicians who have recently settled in Montreal. Featuring Amijai Shalev (bandoneon), Abdul Wahab Kayyali (oud), and Hamin Honari (percussion), “Les Arrivants” blends traditions from Argentinian Tango, Arabic music, and Persian rhythms to produce a distinct worldly sound and a new progressive listening experience.

Comprised of musicians who settled in Montreal between the summer of 2019 and 2020, these three musicians discovered the city through a peculiar lens – the COVID-19 pandemic. As closures and uncertainties permeated their lives, their relationship with each other was one of the first they formulated in the city. Thus, it was a formative one, forged in an exceptionally difficult period.

The repertoire “Les Arrivants” has developed mirrors the trial and tribulations of their resettlement. The concert program starts with Amijai Shalev’s composition “The Arrival,” which tracks the highs and lows of the resettlement experience. From there, it moves on to “Home” by Hamin Honari, which describes the nostalgia and longing for the places and people they left and the renewed search for the comforts they brought us. From there, the program develops into “Neige De Printemps” by Amijai Shalev, which describes a Montreal staple and a “surprise” that never ought to surprise – the snow of spring. Moving on, the program proceeds to “Basmah (Smile)” by Abdul-Wahab Kayyali, a reflection of the joys brought about from seeing friendly and familiar faces in times of great uncertainty and turmoil. Lastly, the program ends with “Burkan (Volcano)” by Abdul-Wahab Kayyali, which describes anger and protest at the global injustices and inequalities exacerbated by the pandemic.

All the compositions were written by members of “Les Arrivants” between the fall of 2020 and the spring of 2021. Hence, they reflect the growth and maturation of the group’s musical bond, which was nurtured through two fellowships at Montreal’s Centre Des Musiciens Du Monde. They are all informed by the traditions the instrumentalists have mastered throughout their careers, but equally and more importantly, reflect the musical possibilities that can only emerge out of a cosmopolitan center such as Montreal.