Born in the ancient city of Fes, Morocco, internationally acclaimed singer Lamiae Naki and her ensemble Seffarine channel their deep knowledge of the music of both sides of the Straits of Gibraltar, the crossroad where African, Middle Eastern and European cultures meet. From the 9th to 15th centuries these cultures coexisted peacefully, producing a seminal musical alchemy that influenced the foundations of both classical Arabic and European Renaissance music.  

In the 21st Century, Seffarine embraces and extends the rich legacy of this golden age of tolerance and exchange between Muslim, Jewish and Christian cultures by creating fresh, innovative works reconnecting these shared Mediterranean roots. 

Charged with texture and color, Seffarine concerts carry the audience on a vibrant musical journey, channeling the heart-wrenching joy of the music and dance of North Africa and southern Spain to wide acclaim. Described by Bass Player Magazine as a “gorgeous intersection of Spanish flamenco, Arabic and Andalusian music, Persian classical and jazz,” Naki’s fluid, riveting vocals entwine elegantly with Nat Hulskamp’s expert flamenco guitar and oud. Persian classical master Bobak Salehi’s sweeping kamancheh (spike fiddle) and tar (Persian lute) play off bassist Damian Erskine’s grooves and the drums and explosive flamenco dance of Manuel Gutierrez. Diving deep into the drama and technical prowess that characterizes these traditions, Seffarine invites listeners to hear with fresh ears the age-old conversation that spanned a sea, reminding us of the connections and histories modern identities disguise.   

Seffarine has performed at prestigious events and venues around the world, like the Lake Tahoe World Concert, winning over audiences from Indonesia to Spain. They have brought their musical vision and cultural knowledge to community audiences and schools, including a recent tour of rural Montana schools on the Fort Peck Reservation. The ensemble has a strong history of support from the field: in 2017, Seffarine was selected by the Western Arts Alliance as one of three Launchpad Artists. Their debut album, “De Fez a Jerez” was supported by a grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council, allowing the group to work and record in Jerez, Spain with several of the living legends of flamenco music. The album received international acclaim and placed in the Transglobal World Music Charts top 20 world music releases, selected by a panel of 43 world music experts, and was named one of the “best African albums of 2015” by prestigious African music blog Afribuku.

Seffarine takes its name from the ancient metalworking square in Lamiae’s home city of Fes, Morocco. Her family is well known in the Seffarine as master metalworkers continuing the tradition today. The square dates back to the 9th century and is famous for the complex rhythms that can be heard from the blacksmiths’ hammers.

At a momentous first meeting at a coffee shop in Fez, Moroccan vocalist Lamiae Naki and multi-instrumentalist Nat Hulskamp composed their first song and decided to get married. Brought together by their deep knowledge of the music of both sides of the Straits of Gibraltar — Spanish flamenco and Moroccan Arabic music — they created Seffarine.

​Seffarine takes its name from the ancient metalworking square in Fez, which is famous for the complex rhythms that ring out from the blacksmiths’ hammers, and where Lamiae’s family is well known as masters of the tradition. Seffarine’s music embraces and extends Morocco’s musical collision between Arabic, Iberian and West African cultures, forging vibrant original music deeply rooted in their backgrounds in flamenco guitar, oud and Arab Andalusian music. Nat and Lamiae built an international quintet bringing in all star musicians from Iran, the US and Spain, who infuse the sound with textured instrumentation and inspired improvisation. Sweeping kamancheh (Persian spike-fiddle) ornamentation plays off gritty bass grooves and explosive flamenco footwork, with Lamiae’s fluidly riveting voice at the center, sending up sheets of cascading Andalusi melodies punctuated by the catchy hooks of North African Chaabi, sung in her native Moroccan Arabic. Their sound has taken them around the world, from touring Indonesia and Europe to receiving grants to study Ottoman singing in Turkey, to recording with top flamenco musicians in Spain such as Diego del Morao and Latin Grammy Award winner Antonio Rey.

Meet the Band…                                       

Lamiae Naki – Vocals

Lamiae was born in the city of Fes, the historic cultural capital of Morocco. Fes’ medina or old walled city is the biggest in the Arab world and is a UNESCO world heritage site. It is the only functioning medieval city and also the home of the oldest continuously running university in the world. As a center for learning in the Arab world, one can hear in Fes classical Arabic music as well as every kind of traditional Moroccan music, Sufi music, Andalusian music, pop, jazz and hip hop. She was drawn to music from a young age and began singing, writing songs, and using every resource to find new music and influences from widely varying cultures. Lamiae studied Andalusian music and other forms of classical Arabic music in Fes, and has continued to creatively apply her expertise in Moroccan and Andalusi music to many other traditions. She has performed in concerts with Shabava Persian ensemble, flamenco dancer Laura Onizuka, Algerian musician Moh Alileche, flamenco guitarist Rafael Vargas, and Seattle jazz quartet Mangus Khan and has performed in the United States, Morocco, Canada and Turkey. Lamiae has also been featured on recordings such as “Hora de Soñar” by Martín Zarzar of the world renowned group Pink Martini and the soundtrack for the film by Alissa Cramer “No Plorar Mai” (USA/Spain/Angola). In 2012 She was awarded a grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council to travel to Istanbul, Turkey to study classical Turkish singing with master singer Aylin Sengun Tasci. Lamiae now resides in Portland, USA.

Nat Hulskamp – Flamenco Guitar & Oud

Nat was born in Portland, OR. He began studying guitar with guitarist/composer Paul Chasman at age seventeen. He was soon introduced to flamenco guitar by Jose Solano. His interest in the influence of Arabic music on flamenco led him to study oud in Morocco. After returning to the US, he moved to Seattle to study ethnomusicology at the University of Washington. There he worked with the groups Carmona Flamenco, The Rez Quartet and others ranging in style from Hungarian Csardas and Gypsy swing to flamenco. In 2000 he co-founded the Vancouver, BC based Arabic/ flamenco group Aire with ney player and singer Emad Armoush. In 2004 he moved to Portland and formed the group Shabava with kamancheh/sehtar/violinist and singer Bobak Salehi. In 2010 he formed the trio Caminhos Cruzados with master jazz guitarist Dan Balmer and Ghanaian percussion virtuoso Israel Annoh. Nat has studied with the top flamenco guitarists of today including, Diego del Morao, Manuel Parrilla, Pepe del Morao, José Antonio Rodriguez, Jesús Guerrero, Dani de Morón and Antonio Rey. He has recorded in Spain with Diego del Morao, La Macanita, Luís de Perikín, LaBejazz and has performed with José Antonio Rodríguez, Santiago Lara and Antonio Rey during their US tours. He now resides in Portland, composing and performing with Shabava, Caminhos Cruzados and Seffarine. Nat uses Luna Flamenca strings by Knobloch Strings (www.knoblochstrings.com), K&K Sound pickups and SeruniAudio microphones. See more about Nat’s work at nathulskamp.com.

Manuel Gutierrez – Flamenco Dance & Cajón

Manuel Gutierrez Cabello was born in Montpellier, France after his parents had migrated to South of France from Cordoba, Spain. From a young age he had shown a talent for dance, winning his first flamenco award at only 8 years old. He began to develop his unique style under the direction of Lita Peiro, José Galván and later with Joaquin Grilo and Javier Latorre.

By age twenty, Gutierrez began producing works and dancing across Europe with legendary artists including Duquende, Chicuelo, Juan Carmona and Chispa Negra. He also began to collaborate with top French choreographers Redha, Marjorie Ascione, and Gerome Zerbie. In 2008, Manuel was invited to choreograph the production “Flamenco Flamen’ka” which sold out the Lyric Theatre in London and and ran for five years in Great Britain and France. Guiterrez’s fame as a choreographer and producer was growing. The Telegraph in London called his work “Fiery.” Danse Magazine nicknamed him, “The Young Flamenco Prince.” Figarro Newspaper raved “The dance is strong, voluptuous, and spectacular… a profound type of Flamenco and incredibly explosive.”

Manuel was invited to teach at the top studios in Europe including L’Opéra de Paris. During this period, he worked on television and stage productions as choreographer/dancer, such as “Romancero Gitano,” “El Emigrante” and many others. Since 2011, Manuel has contributed his time as Artistic Director for Global Gift Foundation for the charitable initiative “The Global Gift Gala” which works alongside actress, producer and philanthropist Eva Longoria as Honorary Chair in benefit of Eva Longoria Foundation, Ricky Martin Foundation, Global Gift Foundation and many more. Manuel continues to work alongside Longoria and has produced charitable events in Los Angeles, London, Paris, Cannes, Mexico and Dubai.

Manuel concurrently has continued to dance and choreograph around the world with artists like Louis Winsberg, Souad Massi and San Francisco-based dance company “Caminos Flamencos.” In 2012, he helped create the production “Juncal Street” with Fanny Ara and his choreography was nominated for an Isadora Duncan Dance Award. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Manuel is establishing himself as a very prolific performer and choreographer throughout the U.S., having created his first U.S production, “KOMPAZ”, performing with the LA Opera and continuing his collaborations with musicians of different genres in his quest to define himself as an explorer of dance in general and flamenco in particular.

collaborating artists

Seffarine performs as a trio, quartet and quintet. Read on to meet the talented master musicians who join Lamiae & Nat on tour!

Yosmel Montejo – Bass

A Cuban native, Yosmel began his musical studies at the age of 9 at the music conservatory in his hometown of Camaguey. He studied classical guitar, piano and composition, and conducted small ensembles. After becoming a guitar professor at a young age, he started practicing electric and eventually upright bass. Quickly becoming recognized in Cuba as one of the main musicians representing and defending Cuban music, he began touring outside the country at 22. Showcasing his versatility and unique musical approach as a bassist, he has been able to perform in various genres of music with well known artists such as Colin Hay (Men at Work) Sheila E, Poncho Sanchez, Oscar de Leon, Haila, Orlando Valles Maraca. His blend of Latin Jazz, Funk, Rock and flamenco is notable not just in his sound but also in his work as band leader, arranger and composer. Yosmel now resides in Los Angeles and leads the modern Cuban band La Caliente, which mixes Latin and jazz music. His deep knowledge of both West African influence in Cuban music and flamenco rhythms made Yosmel an immediate and perfect fit for Seffarine.

Bobak Salehi – Kamancheh, Sehtar, Violin, Gheychak

Born in Tehran, Iran, Bobak’s musical journey began when he was eight years old, under the direction of his father Maestro Hossein Salehi. After completing his classical violin studies with Eileen Dies, he focused his efforts on world music, in particular the folk music of Latin America and Southern Spain. In 1999 the Oregon Historical Society recognized him as master artist. He has studied Kamancheh (Spiked Fiddle) with crossover recording artist Kayhan Kalhor of Yoyo Ma’s Silk Road Project. Bobak has performed regularly in various festivals in the United States and Canada. Most recently, he joined the Hamsaz Ensemble in Seattle, for the North America debut of the historic works of Abdul-Qadir Maraqi, alongside renowned composer and multi-instrumentalist Ali Samadpour. Bobak has performed with many touring artists, including Faramarz Aslani, Dariush (Eghbali), Anoushirvan Rohani, Hamed Nikpay, Fared Shafinury, Nat Hulskamp and Seffarine, Portland Youth Philharmonic, Oregon Symphony and Pink Martini.

Marwan Allam – Bass

Marwan Allam is a New York City-based bassist, composer, and bandleader originally from Tunisia. He studied jazz at the Prins Claus Conservatory in the Netherlands and has earned multiple awards for his musical contributions. Allam has performed at prestigious venues and festivals globally, including Umbria Jazz in Italy, Swinging Groningen in the Netherlands, Cairo Jazz in Egypt, the Hammamet and Tabarka Jazz Festivals in Tunisia, and the Mediter-ranean Jazz Festival in NYC. He has worked with renowned artists such as pianists Marc Cary and Tarek Yammani, guitarist Freddie Bryant, vocalist Liz Rosa, and saxophonists Jay Rattman and Yacine Boulares. In NYC, he has played at clubs like Smoke, Mezzrow, and Smalls. Additionally, Allam has recorded and toured with various musicians, including flutist Dominique Gagne and flamenco guitarist Andreas Arnold. He joined pianist Albert Marques’ flamenco-jazz trio in the summer of 2021, collaborating with drummer Ari Hoenig, and has also worked with trumpeter Shareef Clayton and oud player Amir El Saffar, along with Brain Prunka.