Amir ElSaffar, a Chicago-born jazz trumpeter and composer, incorporates Iraqi musical traditions in his 17-piece Rivers of Sound orchestra. In this edition of The Checkout, we delve deep into the maqam, a system of melodic modes in Arabic music that produces exotic layers of sound and dense microtonal harmonies. ElSaffar combines these Iraqi traditions with his love of jazz in creating a stream of music that Western audiences aren’t accustomed to hearing. “Arabic music and jazz is not a very