Crowds Like Us Featuring Tarek Elazhary [Jazz]

Join us at Peggy’s Skylight as the collective Crowds Like Us takes the stage to reimagine the music of a oud player and composer Tarek Elazhary.

Tarek Elazhary is an Egyptian oud player and composer, based in London. Rooted in Arabic musical traditions and shaped by contemporary collaborative practices, his work explores new possibilities for the oud through composition, collaboration, performance, and intercultural exchange. A graduate of Cairo’s Arabic Oud House, where he studied under Iraqi oud master Naseer Shamma, Tarek creates original work that bridges Arabic musical heritage with contemporary influences. In 2016, he founded Dokkan, an instrumental project that reimagined Egyptian and Arabic traditions through contemporary instrumentation and original composition. Since moving to the UK, Tarek has built an international career spanning live performance, creative partnerships, and cross-cultural projects. His musical collaboration with British musician Tamsin Elliott led to the release of “So Far We Have Come”, which was featured in The Guardian’s Top Folk Albums of 2023 and nominated for Best Group at the Songlines Music Awards in 2024.

Crowds Like Us is a collective featuring Jack Benjamin on bass guitar, Jamie Sykes on drums, and Lucas Walters on piano/keys, bringing a fresh, live interpretation to the guest artist’s repertoire.

Previously, the collective have worked with the likes of modern-classical composer Ben Nobuto, rapper Jafro, and RnB duo Melonyx to craft exciting new collaborations. Inspired by the likes of Aphex Twin, Thelonious Monk, Lianne La Havas, Rosalía and more, Crowds Like Us Presents is an exciting new night to catch unique collaborations exclusive to Peggy’s Skylight.