Folk duo Tamsin Elliott and Tarek Elazhary play St Leonards

Concert organiser Holly Harman said: “The duo are touring their album So Far We Have Come around the UK throughout August and September. Following on from the success of Tamsin's solo debut album, Frey, this project sees a duo collaboration with Egyptian oud player Tarek Elazhary. They are both practitioners and composers deeply embedded in their own living traditions while also leading genre-bending bands (Solana, Dokkan). Through their friendship and ongoing collaboration they have unearthed a series of intriguing connections between English and Arabic folk idioms and worked together to weave this affinity into a thrilling fusion of songs, tunes and textures. So Far We Have Come is a testament to their personal and musical perseverance, and a statement of hope and resistance during troubled times. There is a feeling of balance and equity throughout the album as well as a shared instinct for collaboration. Guests on the album include Sam Sweeney (fiddle), Archie Churchill-Moss (guitar), Leila El Balouty (vocals) and Daniel Gouly (clarinets). So Far We Have Come will be released on September 21.

“Long before Tamsin began work on her critically acclaimed solo album Frey (Penny Fiddle Records, 2022), she spent several months in Egypt embarking on an exploration of Arabic music during which she met Tarek on the Cairo live scene. When international travel was permitted again following the Covid lockdowns, she began to discuss plans with Tarek to bring him to the UK for a return visit and to make the collaborative album they had dreamed of creating together. So Far We Have Come is a testament to their personal and musical perseverance and a statement of hope and resistance during troubled times.”

Tamsin said: “The title of our debut album was born out of a conversation about the progress that has been made in women’s rights in Egypt and the UK. We see how much has changed and yet how far we have to go – and this echoes across ecological crises, geopolitical tensions, racism and societal disconnection. So Far We Have Come also reflects the distance and barriers we have overcome to create this work together.” Tickets on eventbrite.com