Sabir was the “free language” used in the medieval times in the Mediterranean ports with elements such as Catalans, Greeks, Turks, Arabs and others. It was a natural progress of encounters among merchants who made the sea their country, peoples from all lines of life who had a unique understanding of this language.

Sabir suggests the link of two extremes the Greek eastern civilization on the one hand, the Iberian Peninsula on the other. Two pilars who share these two lands, sailing on merchant boats or pirates vessels or even adventurous ones. They have settled and enriched the lands they have stepped out on and united their cultures and the richness of their experiences to make it all one.

With such a philosophy, the three members of Sabir (Efrén and Diego López) members of L’Ham de Foc, and Spyros Kaniaris, the Greek guitarist resident in Valencia, have endeavoured in creating a repertoire full of Mediterranean tradition (some of the pieces are their own composition). They have been inspired by the variant musical culture from the Balkans, Persia, Greece, the flamenco as well as the Eastern medieval music.

Listening to Sabir you can encounter improvisations of assimetric rhythms, old and new ways of oriental music performed on the authentic instruments from India, the Arab zither and others, the flamenco guitar, the Santur (a persian salturi) the Turkish baglama and the Iranian zarb of percussion.

Discography: Fonés (2004).

Spyros Kaniaris: Flamenco guitar, kamancheh and the lyra from the Black Sea.
Diego Lopez: Tombak, doira, bendir, riq, flamenco percusión, daf, davul and didjeridoo.
Efrén Lopez: Ud, lavta, cura, baglama, persian santur, afganian rabat, lauto from Creta and qanun.