Are you looking for a musical adventure and curious about the stories behind the music? Then the day program at arthouse LUX is the ideal place for you. With intimate concerts and short films, you can get inside the minds and hearts of the creators. A day full of musical surprises and enrichment.
On May 23, alongside the Korean nuMori, ÁMÁL Ensemble : a new Amsterdam-based band featuring seven young musicians from Syria, Siberia, Mexico, and France, full of fresh musical crossovers. Also performing is the Netherlands-based Ghanaian jazz trumpeter and rising star Peter Somuah will be on stage.
On May 24, singer Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti, who has roots in Brazil and Bolivia, will perform with her band Awichas the ritual and microtonal music of the Andes. You’ll also enjoy the captivating maloya-jazz blend of the French Lagon Nwar, and dancing is inevitable to the funk-soaked quintet of Brazilian baritone saxophonist Esdras Nogueira —which blends samba, salsa, carimbo, jazz, and Afrobeat into a seamless whole.
On May 25, the Caribbean-American Sera Kalo eX.II will perform: a versatile singer-songwriter and composer who blurs the boundaries between soul, jazz, electronic grooves, and other influences. Also on May 25, the acclaimed French-Syrian flutist Naïssam Jalal will perform her latest album Quest of the Invisible at LUX, while Belgian artist Mattias De Craene blends his analog and electronic soundscapes with the traditional Moroccan gnawa music of the collective Black Koyo.
Peter Somuah || ÁMÁL Ensemble || nuMori
Date: Saturday, May 23, 2026
Time: 2:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Doors open: 2:00 p.m.
Awichas || Lagon Nwar || Esdras Nogueira
Date: Sunday, May 24, 2026
Time: 1:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Doors open: 1:00 p.m.
Sera Kalo eX.II || Naïssam Jalal || Mattias de Craene ft. Black Koyo
Date: Monday, May 25, 2026
Time: 1:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Doors open: 1:00 p.m.
Start and end times are subject to change.
Searching for the Blues: Episode One – Indian Blues (15:45–16:15)
Is the blues universal? Can the blues be found in India? In Episode 1 of “Searching for the Blues,” Ankur and Ashutosh, founders of Amarrass Records, travel through the desert to film and document a lost and dying culture of traditional Indian music. During their journey through the remote villages of Rajasthan, in northwestern India, they meet master musicians, such as Lakha Khan, a passionate and energetic Sindhi sarangi master who worries that no one in the next generation will carry on the musical tradition.
“Searching for the Blues” is a three-part documentary series that explores the musical landscape of Western India.
Searching for the Blues: Episode Two – Keeper of India’s Songbook (5:45–6:15 PM)
Episode 2 of “Searching for the Blues” delves into the life of Sindhi Sarangi master Lakha Khan at his home in Rajasthan. We see him performing songs and instrumental pieces that reflect the earthly and sacred nature of his music, including Hindu bhajans, Sufi kalams, and folk songs.
“Searching for the Blues” is a three-part documentary series that explores the musical landscape of Western India.
Big Ben Webster in Europe (7:50–8:20 p.m.)
A portrait of tenor saxophonist and jazz legend Ben Webster (1909–1973) during his two-year stay in Amsterdam. Van der Keuken follows Webster at performances, in cafés, and during conversations with his landlady. In his conversations with Van der Keuken, Webster reminisces about the past, including the fantastic time he had as a musician in Duke Ellington’s renowned big band.
Elder’s Corner (7:00–8:40 p.m.)
From the colorful, festive sounds of Juju music to the politicized urgency of Afrobeat, Nigerian musicians have played a pioneering role in some of Africa’s most prominent musical movements. But what became of these groundbreaking artists who caused a sensation during the country’s golden years—and who persevered as the country fell into decline? Elder’s Corner is a journey of return and discovery, an epic tale of survival, in which music is used to connect the past with the present.
Adventures of Angosat (2:45–3:17 PM)
In 2017, Angola launched its first satellite into space… which then got lost. The Adventures of Angosat is a retelling of this dream. An indie musical film written and performed by Isis Hembe, one of Angola’s most renowned urban artists. The film brings together emerging artists from the streets of Cazenga (Luanda) in a unique fictional film shot in a single take.
Searching for the Blues: Episode Three – Sau-Rungi: Hundred Colours of Blue (4:45–5:15 PM)
The final episode of “Searching for the Blues” explores how an ancient oral and musical tradition can be carried on and preserved. We meet Lakha Khan’s son, Dane, who until recently was a truck driver and showed little interest in following in his father’s footsteps. Now Dane has joined forces with his father and an inspiring group of artists, artisans, and other culture enthusiasts who are striving to keep Rajasthani musical traditions alive.
“Searching for the Blues” is a three-part documentary series that explores the musical landscape of Western India.
Gnawa Music: Body and Soul (6:50–7:42 PM)
Gnawa Music – Body and Soul is conceived as a road movie and is a musical and human odyssey to the heart of Gnawa music in Morocco. From Tangier to Essaouira, via Tamesloht, Marrakech, and Salé, the film takes us—body and soul—beyond the music to experience the splendor of a universal message that has stood the test of time to celebrate life.
The Gnawa, descendants of slaves from West Africa, knew how to preserve the songs and initiation rites of their ancestors, and used them to induce trance-like states during lilas—those long magical nights when the invisible worlds are invited to heal mortals, as in Haitian voodoo or Brazilian candomblé. Gnawa Music, Body and Soul heads to the edge of the desert to meet great masters such as Maâlems Mahmoud Guinea and Abdellah ‘Boulkhair’ El Gourd and to fathom the spiritual and vibrant significance of Gnawa music.
