Fabio Sartori - Maqam (2026)

Produced by Dodicilune, distributed in Italy and abroad by IRD and in major online stores by BELIEVE DIGITAL, Wednesday, February 11, 2026 sees the release of “Maqam” the new CD by pianist, composer, and teacher Fabio Sartori, featuring Marco Colonna on bass clarinet and Cristiano Calcagnile on drums.

Recorded live in the studio in front of an audience, in a sort of choral experience, the project draws inspiration from the great tradition of Maqam, the modal system underlying traditional Middle Eastern music (particularly Arabic, but also Turkish, Persian, and partly North African), a set of melodic rules, intervals, characteristic notes, and expressive behaviors, seeking points of contact with more Western musical forms that are only apparently more distant.

“Maqam is a look to the East… I have worked on some aspects present in the great tradition of Maqam, a term that encompasses many meanings. My attempt is to look for commonalities and points of contact in a different tradition, on several levels. The perspective is fascinating precisely because these worlds are much closer than one might think. The musical aspect moves from two themes in minor keys, from which improvisations and variations are derived. This characterizes the music with a strong monodic component, a fundamental feature of traditional Maqam. Recording live, in a place like the Miriam studio, with an audience gathered around the musicians, brings this experience closer to the meaning of place, understood not only as a physical space, but also as a place of inner listening and celebration. All this allows us to reunite, albeit in different forms, a common and universal experience.” Fabio Sartori