Zafir explores the commonalities of music born in the cultural centers of Iraq and Syria that blew like the wind (zafir) across the waters of the Mediterranean to Al-Andalus. There it blended with elements of Spanish music and was brought back across the seas to North Africa, where it flourished in the cities of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. Zafir features virtuoso composer and musical director Simon Shaheen with his group Qantara, acclaimed singer Nidal Ibourk, flamenco musician Juan Pérez Rodríguez, and the fiery young flamenco dancer Auxi Fernandez, who completes the music with her explosive footwork.