Freedom Dance by Masaa

Masaa is a young German-Lebanese newcomer band that took the German jazz scene by storm in 2012.
The four-man band Masaa formed in 2011, and only one year later was awarded the “Bremer Jazzpreis”, received a promotion prize from Initiative Musik GmbH and played two sold-out concerts at the A-Trane in Berlin as part of the Berlin Jazz Festival.
The band’s music ranges between contemporary jazz, world music and pop and combines these musical elements with oriental sounds and Arabic poetry. The band’s exceptional singer, Rabih Lahoud, tells tales of faraway lands with his emotional singing and is skilled at allowing these different sounds to become one in the music. With its unique style, Masaa has distanced itself from typical oriental clichés. Rather, one can observe how the four musicians create a poetic and musical mosaic out of their own personal worlds that captures the diversity of life.

Through their music, Masaa strives to contribute to the intercultural exchange between the European and Arab (music) worlds. Their first tour through Lebanon in the autumn of 2012, which consisted of five concerts at universities in the county, two television appearances and a master class, was the first step in “building a bridge” between Europe and the Middle East.
This year, the band will be producing their second CD under their new label “Traumton” (publication date: February 2014) and embark upon their second tour, which will include an appearance at JazzAhead as well as numerous concerts throughout Germany.
Another highlight will be a tour through East Africa (sponsored by the Goethe-Institut München), where the band will be playing five concerts and will collaborate with local musicians at workshops in order to further promote the idea of intercultural exchange.


Rabih Lahoud, vocals
studied classical piano, composition, classical vocals, and jazz vocals. He feels at home in both Western and Eastern music traditions, the latter due to his Arabian roots. This ambivalence adds to the charm of the confluence of musical styles. He formed the band “Eternal Voyage” with Markus Stockhausen, and together they released a CD in 2009 and performed together in
the Cologne Concert Hall as well as many other venues.

Marcus Rust, trumpet
discovered a personal interest in foreign cultures on a trip to India while he was performing his compulsory community service. This experience defines his work with organist Christian Grosch in a duo they call “Zia”. The musicians focus their energies on combining jazz and traditional music of a variety of cultures with jazz in a church setting

Clemens Pötzsch, piano
has intimately pursued the connection between traditional folk music and modern variations of jazz for many years. He is influenced greatly by traditional Slavic music due to his Sorbian roots, which he brings to bear in his band Slavicon.

Demian Kappenstein, percussion
released a CD with the “Ring Ensemble” last year, the fruition of a joint effort with two other musicians to form a jazz trio in an ensemble with historical stringed instruments. He lavished attention on the experiences gained through his travels in Kosovo, Taiwan, Turkey, Macedonia, Israel, and other countries in Solokonzerten für Schlagwerk (Solo Concerts for Percussion) with the track "Travel Suite". Demian is also a member of TANN and forms the Duo "Christopher Rumble" together with DJ Illvibe