JEDDAH, 1 March 2005 — Three young Saudi men are combining their musical skills and imagination to create their own soothing blend of Arabic music and Western pop. Now a Jeddah-based production company has signed the trio to cut an album that will be pressed in Saudi Arabia and distributed across the Middle East.

Khalid Waheed, a pianist who has fully dedicated himself to music; Khalid Barzanji, a teacher; and Bandar K. Abdulmajeed, a King Abdul Aziz University’s MBA student, yesterday signed a contract with a local company to produce and distribute their first album titled “Relax.”

“The album has 12 tracks of soft and soothing instrumental music that everyone will love to hear, and hear again,” Waheed told Arab News at the signing ceremony yesterday sponsored by the Al-Saadah Production and Distribution Co. The three young men all play instruments and have produced albums individually in home studios. “The albums have the choicest Western instrumental hits with Arabic taste,” he said.

Waheed has been playing the piano since his school days and now performs regularly at four city restaurants. “I’m now into music on a full-time basis because I love it,” he said.

Barzanji, a school counselor at Muhammad ibn Ali School here, plays a variety of instruments, though guitar remains his first choice. He also plays keyboards with ease.

“Sometimes, I invite other instrumentalists and singers and play with them,” said Barzanji, who has produced three albums of soft Western music. Abdulmajeed plays several roles at the moment. He is the administrative coordinator at Saudi Arabian Airlines and is studying for his master’s at King Abdul Aziz University.

“It’s exciting to be teaming with two of the best instrumentalists around and producing an album with them,” said Abdulmajeed, who also plays the piano and electronic keyboards. “I’ve been playing instruments since the age of 10. I love slow music and also Western pops,” he said.

Music is a passion for all three. They propose to present live shows overseas, especially in Dubai, Kuwait and Lebanon in the near future.

Bashar Nimer Abou Odeh, a producer with the Al-Saadah Production and Distribution Co., said everything is set at the studio to record the new album, which will be made in cassette and compact disc. And if you’re anxious to get a copy of the new record, “Relax.”