Michel Sajrawy

Michel Sajrawy is a guitarist, composer and producer from Nazareth, Israel, whose distinctive musical language brings together Middle Eastern Music, jazz, fusion and contemporary sounds. His work explores the meeting point between the modal traditions and melodic character of Middle Eastern Music and the harmonic, rhythmic and improvisational language of jazz.

A central element of Sajrawy’s music is his innovative approach to performing quarter tones on the fretted electric guitar. Rather than adding extra frets or using a fretless instrument, he developed his own technique of producing quarter-tone intervals through controlled string bending. This allows him to preserve the freedom of the conventional guitar for jazz chords, lines and improvisation while incorporating the microtonal language of Middle Eastern Music. The technique gives his playing a distinctive expressive quality, combining the nuances of Middle Eastern melodic tradition with the character and flexibility of the electric guitar.

Born and raised in Nazareth, Sajrawy began playing guitar at the age of nine. His musical journey has developed across both technology and music. Between 1990 and 1993 he studied Electronic Engineering, earning a diploma before moving to London in 1995. There he completed a one-year diploma at the Musicians’ Institute – Guitar Institute of Technology (G.I.T.). In 1996 he began a three-year degree in Music Composition at the London College of Music, studying composition under composer Adam Gorb. Between 1999 and 2000 he continued his studies in Film and Television Scoring with Adam Gorb and composer Nigel Clark, completing a Master’s degree in Film and Television Scoring.

In 2000 Sajrawy returned to Nazareth and founded Dasam Studio, where he works as a producer, recording engineer and musician. The studio has become an important part of his creative activity, providing a base for his own recordings as well as productions and collaborations with other musicians.

As a bandleader and recording artist, Sajrawy has released six albums:

• Yathrib — Ozella Music, 2006

• Writings on the Wall — Ozella Music, 2009

• Arabop — Ozella Music / Dasam Studio, 2012

• Floating City — Hevhetia, 2016

• Soul Fingers — Dasam Studio, 2019

• Musical Crime — Dasam Studio, 2026

His debut album, Yathrib, established his distinctive approach to combining Middle Eastern Music with contemporary jazz, fusion and rhythmic traditions. Writings on the Wall developed this language further, while Arabop expanded his exploration of the meeting point between Middle Eastern musical traditions and contemporary jazz and fusion.

His subsequent releases reveal different dimensions of his musical identity. Floating City continued his exploration of contemporary jazz and cross-cultural musical language, while Soul Fingers presented a more intimate, melodic and soulful side of his guitar playing through a collection of solo guitar performances. His latest release, Musical Crime (2026), is an instrumental contemporary jazz project that brings together sophisticated jazz language, rhythmic energy, melodic expression and Sajrawy’s distinctive guitar sound.

Throughout his career, Sajrawy has performed internationally in Germany, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, the United States, India, Slovakia and Bulgaria. His performances have included appearances at the Leipzig Jazz Festival, Jerusalem Festival, Jordan Festival, Tel Aviv Jazz Festival, International Oud Festival, BMW Welt Jazz Award and HevHet Festival.

In 2014, he joined the faculty of the Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music (SAM) in India, where he taught guitar and performed alongside leading international musicians. During this period he shared the stage with artists including Prasanna Ramaswamy, Tom Brislin, Phil Maturano and Steve Zerlin. He has performed with internationally acclaimed musicians such as Yaron Herman, and has also collaborated with artists including Jeff Berlin and Panagiotis Andreou on studio and video recording projects.

Sajrawy’s collaborative work has included musicians from a wide range of musical traditions, among them Abboud Abdel'All, Bashir Abdel'All, Ahmed Mukhtar, Samir Jubran, Manfred Leuchter and Souad Massi, as well as numerous musicians and artists from Israel and abroad. He has contributed as a guitarist, composer, arranger and producer to more than twenty albums and numerous recording projects.

Beyond his work as a performer and recording artist, Sajrawy has composed music for documentary films, music for theatre, created arrangements for small orchestral projects, and produced radio jingles for major Israeli brands. He has also appeared on national television and worked as a music educator and lecturer.

His work has received recognition through several awards and grants, including the Wilfred Joseph Prize in England (1998–99), Best Title in Music in Israel (2002), an A. M. Qattan Foundation Performing Arts Grant (2007), and a diploma from the Master-Jam Fest in Odessa, Ukraine (2012).

Today, Michel Sajrawy continues to develop his vision of Contemporary Middle Eastern Jazz—a personal musical language rooted in Middle Eastern Music while embracing the freedom, sophistication and improvisational spirit of jazz. Through his work as a guitarist, composer, producer and recording artist, he continues to explore new ways of bringing these musical worlds together.

Awards

Michel has been awarded the Wilfred Joseph Prize (1998-99 England), Best Title in Music (2002 Israel), the A. M. Qattan Foundation's Performing Arts Grant for the year (2007 West Bank) and Diploma from "Master-Jam Fest" in recognition of musical skill and devotion to jazz art (2012 Odessa - Ukraine). 

Gear

Gibson Less Paul Special, Custom Shop, 1960 Historic Reissue

Acoustic Image Clarus SLR

Raezer’s Edge 1×10 Cabinet