ashtabiez
About
Ashtabiez brings together distinctive musical voices through the compositions of Yamen Martini. Inspired by genres such as jazz and maqam music and influenced by encounters traversing the SWANA region and Europe, the collective fuses music mastery building on members’ classical and jazz backgrounds – and personal testimonies.
Ashtabiez are Victor Khaddaj (drums), Mehrad Hezarkhani (bass), Kuan Yu Chen (piano), Thomas Decock (guitar), and Yamen Martini (trumpet, flugelhorn). In 2023, the collective revealed its first single, Expressions, and was invited to record its first full-length album within an artist residency at De Grote Post, Ostend (Belgium), to be released in October 2024.
Listen to Expressions
Listen to Ashtabiez’s first single, Expressions.
Artwork by Catarina Santos
Produced by Yamen Martini at Studio666
Mastered by Frederik Dejongh at Jerboa Mastering
Listen live
First full-length album coming soon!
We are currently finalising our first full-length album which was recorded during an artist residency at De Grote Post, Ostend, Belgium.
Meet us
Yamen Martini (trumpet, flugelhorn) has performed on stages and composed music for a wide range of artistic projects across the Middle East and Europe, both as a solo artist and with groups such as 3’Ain. In 2022 he was a resident at BOZAR as part of Halaqat’s Impro Sessions. He is also a musician and coach at kleinVerhaal (Ostend, Belgium).
Victor Khaddaj (drums) studied jazz at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. His commitment to the art of drumming also translates into his diverse musical projects, including BEX, Khassage, and Underwater Fish.
Mehrad Hezarkhani (bass) is a highly skilled bassist with a deep-rooted passion for jazz music. He completed his master’s degree in jazz music at the Koninklijk Conservatorium of Brussel in 2022, following his Bachelor Diploma in Jazz Performance at the Codarts Conservatory in Rotterdam.
Kuan Yu Chen (piano) builds on performances with numerous orchestras and chamber music ensembles. He is currently pursuing his studies in jazz piano at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel and has also contributed to projects like EVIGS and KLP TRIO.
Thomas Decock (guitar) studied jazz guitar at the Lemmens Institute and the Antwerp Conservatory. Since then, he has been active in the Belgian jazz scene. In 2016 he released the album Light Travelers and today he still leads his own quintet with several prominent musicians.
Get in Touch
Bookings and inquiries:
Yamen Martini
info@yamenmartini.com