-Portland Tribune

Qadim is a word found in both Arabic and Hebrew meaning 'ancient' as well as 'that which will come.'   Their repertoire includes Arabic, Jewish, Turkish Sufi, Hebrew-Yemenite, Armenian, Greek and Moroccan music, celebrating the common musical and spiritual heritage of the region's cultures, while honoring the great diversity found within them.

Led by Eliyahu Sills,  The Qadim Ensemble consists of Rachel Valfer on oud and lead vocals, Faisal Zedan on Arabic percussion such as the Darbukkah, Riqq & Daf, and John Villa on Moroccan, Middle Eastern & North Indian drums.   The ensemble often includes special guests,such as Bouchaib Abdlehadi, Evan Fraser and Jason Ranjit Parmer.

Musician Bios:

Rachel Valfer is a singer and oud (Arabic lute) player. Comfortable in Greek, Hebrew, Turkish, Arabic and Farsi, her rich, earthy vocals evoke longing, love, strength, and ultimately, a sense of vastness and grace.

She studied Maqam and Persian dastgah modal systems in Israel and Palestine for six years at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, and sings with several ensembles in the Bay Area.  Rachel teaches Middle Eastern vocal styles and oud from her home in Berkeley, and can be reached at ravalfer@gmail.com.

Syrian-born Faisal Zedan was divinely inspired to play Arabic percussion at the age of 15. He received instruction from the only drummer in his village of Oum Dbaid, a man who was a distant relative.

Faisal has played with many great Arabic musicians, such as Ali Jihad Racy, Julien Jâlal Eddine Weiss, and the band Kanzaman.

Through teamwork and daily practice, Faisal is dedicated to keeping Arabic music alive, and inspiring fellow musicians to have a selfless approach to playing music.

John has studied with master percussionists from North Africa, the
Middle East and India. He holds a BFA in World Music from CalArts  and
an MMus from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London,
where he was also a percussion instructor for the SOAS Middle Eastern
Music Ensemble. His passion for sacred music has led him to extended
studies with Sufi drummers of the Hamadsha, Aissawa and Gnawa
brotherhoods in Morocco. John is also well known for his innovative
Didjeridu playing and having apprenticed with Wardaman Aboriginal
Elder Yidumduma Bill Harney in Australia. John’s musical experience
has earned him collaborations with such artists as Omar Faruk
Tekbilek, Stellamara, and Hamsa Lila, and performances in festivals
such as the World Festival of Sacred Music and Earthdance.

Bouchaib Abdelhadi, a native of Casablanca, Morocco, has had a distinguished musical career on both sides of the Atlantic. As leader of the Orchestre Abdelhadi, he performed throughout the Kingdom of Morocco in the 1980's. Since coming to the United States in the early 1990's, Bouchaib has been much sought out as a multi-instrumentalist (oud, Moroccan violin, percussion) and as a vocalist in Middle Eastern and North African traditions such as al-Ÿqa (Andalusian), Gnawa (Sufi trance), and Chaabi ("popular"). Recent career highlights include collaborating in 2002 with Pharoah Sanders on music for Alonzo King's LINES Ballet Company, and, in 2001, contributing to Omar Sosa's Grammy-nominated CD "Sentir". Bouchaib's live performances range from a US tour with Cuban jazz pianist Omar Sosa to a performance with Stephen Kent and Trance Mission. Bouchaib played with DJ Cheb i Sabbah on the album "La Kahena", with Cheb Khalid "the King of Rai," and Santana at Stern Grove, and has toured with a Sufi Naqshbandi Tarika.

Jason Ranjit Parmar is a multi- percussionist whose passionate study of rhythm began in his early childhood.

He has since gone on to study world rhythmic traditions hailing from West Africa, Nigeria Cuba, Brazil, Haiti, and India. Jason has been training in Indian Tabla continuously for the past seven years with master Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri.

Jason has also provided tabla accompaniment for Ali Akbar Khan Sahib in both vocal and instrumental classes. Jason regularly performs throughout the west coast in numerous traditional and progressive musical groups, most recently with Tina Malia.

Originally from Orcas Island, Washington, Evan Fraser is a multi-instrumentalist and recording artist currently based in the Bay Area.  Evan graduated from the California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles with a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree in World Music. His teachers include: John Bergamo, Randy Gloss, Alfred Ladzekpo, Kobla Ladzekpo, Sulley Imoro, Nyomen Wenton, Jim Santi Owen, and Mark Growden.

Evan's mission is to heal this planet and it's peoples by elevating the consciousness of each other's culture and the beauty of this Earth through music.  Evan plays: Jaw Harp, Kalimba, Berimbau, Pandeiro, Marimbula, Melodica, Overtone Flute, Frame Drums, Calabash, Zabumba, Mouth Bow, Keyboards and various global percussion.