Violinist Shalan Alhamwy from Syria and Belgian accordionist Jonas Malfliet play a wide repertoire of Arabic and European folk music, arranged and composed in their own style.
The name Damast Duo is inspired by the luxurious textile damask (in Dutch damast)from Damascus, the Syrian capital. Damask spread all over the world through the trade along the silk road. This cultural crossover between East and West is what outlines Damast Duo’s music.
Their latest album Berenjacht is an ode to hope, solidarity and friendship. This is their third album after Safar in 2018 and Birds of Passage in 2019.
Shalan Alhamwy is a Syrian/Belgian violinist and composer. Trained as a classical musician, with his background of Arabic music, Shalan masters both genres playing and composing. Elements of variety of musical styles are unmistakably recognized in his compositions . Shalan also wrote and arranged music for a plenty of orchestras, ensembles, singers, films and TV shows.
Plays with GFVP (Gent Folk Violin Project), Olla vogala, EPO (Expat Philharmonic Orchestra) and Damast Duo. Musical director of of the Syrian-Turkish-Belgian world music orchestra Jiraan and Picea Orientalis string orchestra.
Former member of: The Syrian National Symphony Orchestra, The National Orchestra of Arabic Music and Damascus Chamber Orchestra.
Jonas Malfliet broke his little finger when he was three years old. Nothing too bad, his mother said. The only thing he won’t be able to do, is to become a professional musician.
However, it turns out he quite stubbornly didn’t want to listen to his mother, and nowadays cannot keep his fingers off the black and white keys! He pops up with his accordion in world music groups such as Damast Duo and Jiraan, the eight-piece belgo-brazilian party band Euforró and the French collective Les Poissons Voyageurs. In between buses and planes, he is also resident pianist of De Rechtvaardige Rechters, a programme on Belgian national radio.
Furthermore, he enjoys nothing more than traveling around and jamming 1001 nights with musicians from the most diverse traditions, trying to figure out what music he likes to play best.