Son of famous Lebanese composer Assi Rahbani and the sensational diva Fairuz, Ziad Rahbani is a legend in his own right. Currently performing a season at One to One Hotel – the Village, he took time off to talk about his admiration for the capital and his love of jazz

Boasting a career as jazz musician and composer, Ziad Rahbani also manages to maintain a powerful reputation as a playwright and a political pundit. It’s hardly surprising that he is a household name within the Lebanese community.

He first performed in Abu Dhabi back in 2005, and the warm welcome and the enthusiasm of his fans meant he jumped at the chance to return. Recognizing Abu Dhabi as an ambitious city, Ziad was thrilled to find developments like the cultural district of Saadiyat Island to be in full swing.

He also applauds the ongoing efforts to encourage an interest in music. “Classical music is becoming more accessible, especially here in Abu Dhabi. ADACH is doing great things here, introducing events that really promote musical education.“

Believing strongly in the importance of music at a young age, Ziad thinks it is vital to introduce children in person to the arts. “Children are very visual; take them to a concert and it will encourage them to develop their own interest. They will choose their instrument out of instinct. They just need to be given the chance to say ‘I want to try that’.”

Attributing the diversity of music and wealth of talented artists in European countries to the education system, he notes that it is not unusual for there to be at least one musician in a family. “In Lebanon this was not always the case, although the people have always shown a true passion for music,” he says. “Music in Lebanon is still considered a great luxury, a sign of affluence like fashion.

“I had a friend who made a living tuning pianos – now he finds more money in painting them.” With high-society women taking great pride in the interior of their home, who is to say their beloved Baby Grand can’t match the exact colour of their walls?

But Ziad has seen a surge of new interest in the musical arts since his last visit to the UAE and has discovered the wealth of music schools, clubs and talented musicians here. He also enjoys the cosmopolitan mix in Abu Dhabi – “I currently have a Scottish guy on drums, a Filipino on bass and a Russian saxophonist and vocalist.

“As a musician you don’t worry about what street you live on, but the people and the influences around you. Abu Dhabi has been fantastic for new collaborations.”

He plays a mixture of rehearsed compositions and improvisations. “No one really knows where the new composition comes from; you just bounce off each other. It’s not good to think about it too much.” He sees jazz as “an elevation of classical music” and describes the process of playing jazz with enthusiasm: “You have the main road of jazz, which consists of seven notes, the basics. Then you have the side streets where you can wander down and explore, changing the notation and mixing it up a bit.”

Although Ziad may not consider himself to be a musician who ‘moves with the times’ he is often inspired by popular music, playing with song titles or turning melodies on their head to suit his style. “I don’t want to be a part of a machine, churning out the same boring tunes, but I do pick up on popular sounds and play around with them. Music is constantly moving – I cannot be a part of a modern wave or fad. That’s the essence of jazz.”

Ziad wants to work with big voices such as soul stars Chaka Khan and Randy Crawford along with bossa nova legend Astrud Gilberto, and he identifies Amy Winehouse as a personal favourite. “Amy is black and white. She’s jazz, funk and blues. She cannot be placed and has such a unique sound.

I love her ashtray voice “he grins.  On the other hand, he also feels vocals are not always necessary for jazz because the music simply speaks for itself. “Jazz can have absolutely no meaning, you can say whatever you want. A jazz audience really doesn’t care; they’re there for the music not the message. In some ways it’s easier to connect to the audience without having the words there, as a distraction.”

Believing strongly that artists like these are what keep the spirit of jazz alive, Ziad is confident that the classical arts are making a comeback. He hopes a new generation of music hungry individuals will emerge with Abu Dhabi acting as a musically rich hub for the Middle East.