Tareq Abboushi is a

Palestinian-American Palestinian Americans () are Americans who are of full or partial Palestinian descent. There are around 160,000 Palestinian American refugees according to the 2023 American Community Survey, making up around 0.05% of the U.S. population. Th ...

musician and composer who has spent time living and performing in both

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and

Ramallah Ramallah ( , ; ) is a Palestinians, Palestinian city in the central West Bank, that serves as the administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerusalem, at an average elevation of abov ...

. His first instrument was the piano on which he practised western classical music before transitioning to jazz. He then studied for a

B.M. BM or bm may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * BM (rapper), born Matthew Kim, a Korean-American rapper * BM (singer), a Congolese-born, British singer-songwriter, dancer, director and record producer * ''BM'' (album), a 2008 Barbara ...

Jazz Piano Jazz piano is a collective term for the techniques pianists use when playing jazz. The piano has been an integral part of the jazz idiom since its inception, in both solo and ensemble settings. Its role is multifaceted due largely to the instru ...

from

William Paterson University William Paterson University, known as WP, officially William Paterson University of New Jersey (WPUNJ), is a public university in Wayne, New Jersey, United States. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Founded in 1855 an ...

, during which time he also began playing the traditional Palestinian

buzuq The ''buzuq'' (, ; also transliterated ''bozuq'', ''bouzouk'', buzuk etc.) is a long-necked fretted lute, similar to the ''bozuk düzen bağlama'' likely originated in the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly in the Levant, where it is prominen ...

, a long-necked lute. His buzuq playing is influenced by his jazz sensibilities in its form of rhythms and phrasing. Abboushi plays with many groups in the

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

area and is the leader and composer of the Arabic/

Jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as jazz rock, jazz-rock fusion, or simply fusion) is a popular music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric gui ...

quintet SHUSMO, which released its debut album ''One'' in 2005, and second album "Mumtastic" in 2011. He has also lectured on Arabic music at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

Juilliard School of Music The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became the Juilliard School, named afte ...

, and the

Museum of the City of New York The Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) is a history and art museum in Manhattan, New York City, New York. It was founded by Henry Collins Brown, in 1923Beard, Rick. "Museum of the City of New York" in to preserve and present the history ...

. In 2000, Tarek Aboushi founded a band in New York City, USA, called "Shou Isma." Tarek Aboushi has also released four albums in collaboration with Dan Zenz and composed the soundtracks for several films and artistic works, most notably "Meeting Point," "Chicken Head," which won the Best Short Film Award at the 2010

Dubai Film Festival The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF, ) was the largest film festival in the Arab region. With particular emphasis on showcasing Arab, Asian, and African cinema, it also helped to develop industry and talent in the region. It was held i ...

, and "Rashi's Marriage," which was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

References

External links

Profile of Tareq Abboushi at the Institute for Middle East Understanding

Shusmo.com, the Official Website of the Quintet Shusmo

Shusmo Page at Myspace.com
Living people Palestinian musicians William Paterson University alumni Columbia University faculty New York University faculty 20th-century births Year of birth missing (living people) {{US-music-bio-stub