Five men, all celebrated composers, performers and improvisers, working and touring as a group with the intention of introducing American audiences to the musical richness of their cultural heritage is not a new concept in live entertainment.

However, New Sounds from Arab Lands, hailing from Syria, Lebanon and Tunisia, and performing Saturday at the Freer Gallery, may very well be the interesting exception.

"We represent a new generation of musicians from the Arab lands," said Jasser Haj Youssef, a Tunisian string player with the quintet. "Our influences are numerous -- Arabic music, European classical music, jazz, African music, baroque and other artistic forms."

Indeed, New Sounds represents a rising generation of cosmopolitan Arab musicians who infuse the melodic aspects of Arab music with the Western genres of jazz and classical music. What results is a mixture of both composed and improvised works that are very much in the present yet emblematic of the Middle Eastern influences and traditions born into each of the men.