Bashir is considered one of the foremost virtuosos of the Arabic oud, and is widely renowned as one of the most important figures in 20th century Middle Eastern music.

[2] He is credited as being the first major figure to elevate the Arabic oud to the realm of solo concert performance, and was among the first Middle Eastern instrumentalists to gain recognition in the United States and Europe.

Although Bashir was born in Iraq, the tumultuous political landscape of violent coups and wars during his lifetime eventually led to his seeking refuge in Europe.

At the age of six, the prodigiously talented Bashir was sent to the Baghdad Conservatory, which was founded in 1934 by the distinguished Turkish musicologist Şerif Muhyi ad-Din Haydar Targan (1892–1967).

[citation needed] Bashir was intensely focused during his studies, and especially after earning his degree, on documenting and preserving the traditional musical styles of his country.

The 1950s and 1960s, in particular, marked the final years of the Hashemite monarchy, leading to the fall of Faisal II and a series of military coups shortly thereafter.

Thus, although Bashir felt deeply rooted in the rich cultural heritage of Mesopotamia, this event ultimately forced him to leave Iraq and work abroad in 1958.

However, the difficult political situation in his country, and the resulting challenges it posed for working musicians, ultimately forced him to leave Iraq permanently.

[8] Bashir was particularly attracted to Budapest not only for its status as a European musical metropolis, but also for the opportunity to study at the renowned Franz Liszt Conservatory under the supervision of Zoltán Kodály.

Kodály was famous for his collaboration with Béla Bartók in preserving traditional Hungarian folk songs, and shared Bashir's commitment to safeguarding indigenous musical heritage.

Bashir presented himself as apolitical, and owing to his international popularity, he was deemed a suitable representative for the diverse ethnic, religious, and political groups of Iraq.

In 1987, during the Iran–Iraq War, Bashir realized a lifelong dream: he organized the inaugural Babylon International Festival of dance, music, and theatre.

His guest performances, primarily in Europe, provided a broad and receptive audience, thereby offering an excellent platform for showcasing his highly original and mature style of improvisation and composition.

[10] Bashir pioneered a distinctive sound on the oud, diverging sharply from the urban "showmanship" seen in the typical "Egyptian" style of Farid Al-Atrash, as well as the heavily jazz-influenced music of Lebanese artist Rabih Abou-Khalil, who enjoyed considerable popularity in Europe.

Bashir's pioneering role in this regard elevated the status of the oud to being one of the primary lead instruments of Middle Eastern music, and paved the way for many contemporary oudists to follow.

Bashir's exceptional picking skills are especially evident in his ability to perform these techniques in fast, complex meters like 10/8 metre with seemingly effortless virtuosity, hiding the significant challenges in this method.

The ability to play such melodic lines on the instrument is Bashir's approach to foreign musical forms is also reflected in his experimentation with alternative picking techniques.

Part of the art of taqsim also involves embellishment of traditional melodies or familiar melodic fragments, also commonplace in jazz improvisation and referred to as quoting.

Bashir sought above all else to avoid merging these styles in a superficial or disjointed way, eschewing simple "quotations" of foreign melodies in favor of a deeper approach that would fuse the tonalities involved in a natural and coherent way.

A noted example of Bashir's innovative approach to musical fusion is his composition Al-Amira al-Andaluciyya ("The Princess of Andalusia"), which can be heard on a duo recording with his son Omar.

The subsequent play around the note C (motif b) alludes to the musical connotation of Andalusia (for centuries a province of the caliphate and the birthplace of flamenco) that Bashir intended.

The descending line to G (motif c) then establishes the key for the following improvisation, which is set in a traditional Arabic maqam called Hijaz Kar Kurd.

It's well-suited for flamenco-like improvisations, as the flamenco style is characterized by an ambivalent and unstable relationship to major/minor tonality - which, in turn, is foreign idea to Arabic music, which doesn't have triadic harmony.

These are an indispensable stylistic element of flamenco guitar - but very rare on oud, which is fretless and thus challenging to play with the correct intonation - limitations which Bashir again sought to surpass in his fusion of the two styles.

British historian Bernard Lewis refers to Bashir as an example of a Middle Eastern musician who understood how to engage with Western culture on the basis of equal collaboration.

Instead, Bashir often preferred scales that allowed for significant melodic freedom and tonal ambivalence, which can be challenging for European ears accustomed to harmony—such as the Hijaz Kar Kurd, as mentioned earlier.