Muscat – Not far from Marble Arch at the northeast corner of London’s iconic Hyde Park which inspired his “hero” Dave Brubeck to compose the jazz standard named after the façade in 1958, an Omani is making inroads into the music scene. Queensway-based Zehy al Dhabari, 25, has been listening to Brubeck since he was 16 when most others his age were into hip hop, rap or beatboxing.

Dhabari is the drummer of a three-piece act fronted by South African vocalist-guitarist Jezmond Farren with Zak Dajani of Palestinian heritage on bass. Formed in the summer of 2022, they chose to call themselves The Yazatas – or venerable spirits in Persian – apparently in a nod to the musical chemistry they share that makes them sound like they are channelling the same soul. While their music has been described as an ambient blend of neo soul, nu jazz, folk, alternative rock and other genres thrown in, Dhabari prefers a simpler tag – pop.

The band has played weekly gigs at clubs in Chelsea and Fulham and is currently working on its debut album – Shadow Characters – with two singles  released so far that have found airplay in London and across the Atlantic in Southern California.  “Jezmond came up with the album name. It features songs that discuss heartbreak and classism,” British-born Dhabari informed.

Not on a whim

His interest in music was evident even as a little boy, so his mother, the former radio presenter Sayyida Zawan al Said encouraged Dhabari to pursue his passion and develop skills for a sustainable career in music. The importance of acquiring skills is a lesson she learnt in the early stages of her own career from her father – Oman’s late deputy prime minister for defence Sayyid Fahr bin Taimour al Said – which she passed on to her son.  

When Dhabari was a teen and denied entry in clubs without an accompanying adult, Sayyida Zawan chaperoned him to these shows for him to witness his favourite musicians perform live. “Parental support isn’t common for aspiring musicians in Oman,” she said in a recent interview.

Not relying on just passion to make music his profession, Dhabari enrolled for a three-year jazz music programme at West Thames College which he completed in 2018. He followed it up with two concurrent programmes – one of two-and-a-half years duration at the Julian Joseph Jazz Academy and the other of four years at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. A man of few  words, Dhabari simply described his time at these institutions as “wonderful experiences”.

Discipline and consistency 

Despite gigs, airplay for singles and progress on Shadow Characters, Dhabari is modest about what he has achieved so far. Asked how he keeps himself motivated considering the challenges of a career in music – even more so in jazz – he said, “Music is something I love and because I love it, I’m happy to work on it every day. Up until this point, I have not had much success but I believe that if you work on something consistently enough, it will come to pass eventually. It’s not so much about motivation for me; I think motivation is too fickle. Discipline and consistency are key.”

The discipline he refers to is an inheritance from his father, retired Brig Abdullah al Dhabari, who he looks forward to spending time with on visits to Oman which is not very often owing to his day job of building stages and moving furniture. “I don’t see him that much so it’s always nice spending time with him.”  

As for how the band plans to connect with the audience in Oman and how soon, there are no plans just yet. “The album still has to be completed and once it is, the band is keen to engage with European audiences first,” Dhabari said. 

But until then, The Yazatas’ recordings are available in YouTube  in which Dhabari is seen shuffling a dependable beat with brushes, cutting a striking figure in a trilby. “I enjoy wearing these and wear them regularly in my day-to-day if the weather permits. The hats are definitely not just stage prop.”