Middle East Middle East

REVIEWS REVIEWS Middle East Middle East Taner Akyol Trio Vocalist Raha brings a breath of fresh air to special attention has been given to the first recording from Yaron Levy, an Mahsa & Marjan Vahdat Dance to the Sun a tradition which has been dominated in precise rendition of the different rhythms, Israeli composer and oud (lute) player Twinklings of Hope Enja (55 mins) recent years by a small number of hasapikos and zeybekikos. The group with a gloriously sumptuous tone and the KKV (66 mins) HHHH established and well-known vocalists – are true to the makam (melodic modes) musical bravery to extend an HHHH The old joanna proves it can do mainly male, due to official restrictions on considered essential by Vamvakaris to true improvisation beyond the obvious. He Songs from a Persian mansion Turkish music too solo female singers in Iran itself. rebetika music. A standout track in this offers his fellow musicians – playing I first heard Iranian sisters Mahsa & Marjan Vahdat in Istanbul in 2006. Turkey has no For my taste, the musical material itself respect is the rendition of the classic song violin, cello, kanun (zither), woodwind The power in their voices, so perfectly matched and intertwining shortage of baglama is less interesting than some other recent of exile, ‘San Apokliros Girizo’. Berber and and percussion – equal space to shine. around each other was a revelation. We were all there for a Freemuse (lute) masters releases of Iranian classical music, and his wife Pelin alternate vocals in Turkish Levy’s style is rooted in the traditions of meeting about music censorship. Sadly, solo (or duo) women singers working on new doesn’t really do justice to the wonderful and Greek, while Erdem Şentürk and the Near East, with noticeable influences are not permitted to perform in Iran except for all-female audiences. forms of expression, musicians. There’s a little too much of Serkan Halili provide imaginative solos from medieval Europe and elements of The Vahdat sisters have released several albums on the Norwegian and Europe has no Alizadeh’s tar and not enough of the other on oud and kanun and Neyzen Özsarı contemporary studio technology – which KKV label, most of them fusion projects, and have contributed a track to KKV’s Lullabies from shortage of transnational groups using artists. The tracks are mainly slow tasnifs gives a jazzy drive on the bass. This is could be considered either very effective the Axis of Evil album in 2004. But this is the first recording where the power and beauty of Oriental instruments. But this album, from (songs with ensemble accompaniment), already global music – tango rhythms or just puzzling. The title-track is a prime their voices really comes across. It was recorded with three instrumentalists on ney flute saz player Taner Akyol, wins you over with for which much of the poetic interest – so mix with Arabic influences in ‘Gülbahar’ example of this: one of the most (Pasha Hanjani), plucked setar (Atabak Elyasi) and percussion (Ali Rahimi) in an Qajar period its integrity of purpose, originality and important to the listening experience of – brought to life by a group of dedicated, successful uses of oud-looping you’ll hear Persian mansion in Tehran belonging to the Italian embassy. It’s a beautiful location for a strikingly dramatic intensity of the music. this music – will be lost on non-Persian creative musicians. is overburdened by a reverb-soaked traditional ensemble. Some of the words are by the great Persian poets Hafez and Rumi, Here the Turkish material – compositions speaking audiences. Still, translations of Francesco Martinelli ‘atmospheric’ opening and rogue voice others are contemporary, but the music is timeless. The breathiness of the ney, the tingling and instrumental sounds – are in deep and the texts are provided in the liner notes, samples; similarly, the aching, slow-burn delicacy of the setar, the punctuation of drums and the overlapping voices in ‘Garden of meaningful dialogue with the piano, that and these give some idea of the mystical Samy El Maghribi crescendo of ‘Wellsprings’ climaxes with Visions’ are magical. A soft ney introduction leads to the drama of ‘Crane’, a powerful song most symbolic instrument of European and spiritual ambience of the music. Jewish-Arab Song alarmingly histrionic vocals. However, yearning for freedom. The words are intensely poetic and often hard to interpret (despite 7 music, played by Greek pianist Anthonis There are a few places, however, where Treasures these slips of judgement cannot detract translations), but the effect of the songs is transformative. Anissegos, with the percussion instruments the younger musicians come into their Buda Musique (75 mins) from some excellent performances: Simon Broughton of David Kuckhermann acting as catalyst. own: there’s the beautiful instrumental HHH Levy’s percussive oud is perfectly The improvisations are frequent and trio of Alizadeh and his two sons and Post-war celeb of Jewish balanced by the dark sonority of Eyal fearless, but the traditional melodies in this the magical sound of Pasha Hanjani’s North Africa Seya’s Turkish clarinet and Mahran Ali Akbar Moradi & Bahar vocalists. There are just three named Incompetents, none of whom are innovative well-balanced repertoire are treated with ney accompanying Raha. Virtuoso Here’s another Moreb delivers an edgy kanun solo over Movahed musicians involved: Movahed, with her VARIOUS ARTISTS enough to persuade the average Snow Patrol respect. The original pieces by Akyol are percussionist Pejman Hadadi, however, exemplary piece of the mesmeric ostinato of ‘Kol Kohvey Goblet of Eternal Light warm, clarinet-like voice; Moradi on fan to switch allegiance. But there’s plenty of oriented towards dancing rhythms, and the doesn’t get a look in. There is so much music history from Boker’, which lends a real sense of Traditional Crossroads (42 mins) tanbur; and Ali Rahimi on daf (frame Radio Beirut: Sounds from more interesting stuff with deeper roots in traditional pieces range from the Aegean to more that could have been done with these Buda Musique, its excitement and risk. The weary cliché HHH drum). There are also unidentified the 21st Century Lebanese tradition, including band of the Azerbaijan, including a deyiş, or mystical amazing musicians. liner notes adorned ‘repays repeated listening’ really is true of Ancient poetry from the People backing vocals. Moradi and Movahed’s Galileo (58 mins) moment Mashrou’ Leila, whose potent song, composed by Arif Sağ on a poem Laudan Nooshin with a weighty chunk Soundshades. Not least of all because of the Truth relationship is much more than a HHH fusion of Middle-Eastern melodies, classical by the 15th-century poet Şah Hatay (with of scholarship by the Institut du Monde then you’ll know when to reach for the Ali Akbar Moradi is vocalist and accompaniment. It is a true Whistle-stop tour of the sounds Oriental violin and Western electronica is lyrics included and bravely translated). In Café Aman Istanbul Arabe’s musicologist Rabah Mezouane. fast-forward button. a master of the partnership, and Moradi’s tanbur has a of young Beirut showcased with three tracks. The larger- the first track, the trio plays a composition Fasl-ı Rembetiko Samy El Maghribi was one of the important Bill Badley Kurdish tanbur ferocious power at certain moments and There’s an inevitable than-life Lebanese composer, producer and by piano virtuoso and political polemicist Kalan (48 mins) modernisers of Jewish Algerian music of (long-necked lute) a feather-like delicacy at others. overlap between label owner Michel Elefteriades is Fazıl Say, based on a song by famous bard HHHH the mid-20th century, a singer and lutenist Ensemble Mze Shina and one of the great The repertoire comes from both Radio Beirut, represented by two of his multifarious Aşık Veysel. Classic old Greek chestnuts born in Morocco, and later resident in Ushba: Georgian Harmonies traditional Iranian and Iraqi Kurdistan and the compiled by the projects, the trad-based oud explorations of Rarely have the various fusion given a new lease of life France and Canada. Like his Algerian and Buda Musique (66 mins) musicians of Iran. He has a deep seven poems have a mystic quality, German journalist the Chehade Brothers and the Cuban- experiments between European and Deep currents are Tunisian colleagues, El Maghribi combined HHH knowledge of the sacred repertoire of with lyrics mostly by poets of the 19th Dagmar Golle, and Arabic fusions of Hanine Y Son Cubano. Turkish music in the fields of classical crossing the blue elements of Egyptian popular styles which French mini-ensemble prove the Yarsan or ‘People of the Truth’, a century. Three of them are by Sayyed last year’s Golden Beirut CD on Out Here. The diva-like Soumaya Baalbaki fuses tango composition or jazz achieved such a Aegean – the Greek dominated the Arab world in the 1950s that less can be more mystical faith in the Kurdish region. He Abdolrahim (1806-1882), known as But it’s a testament to the strength of the with Arabic forms, while the lilting Arabic degree of success, without even a shade of economic crisis and with aspects of North African folklore, in The group Mze Shina featured in Songlines when we did a Mowlavi-e Kurd (The Kurdish Rumi). emerging new music scene in Beirut that its folk-rock of Youmna Saba suggests a postcard Orientalism. the Turkish ascent his case particularly the Andalusian styles (Inner Sun) is actually piece around In the Mirror of the Sky, his The accompanying booklet isn’t up music warrants two such collections in such Lebanese Laura Marling. Unlike Beirut’s Francesco Martinelli are altering old of Tlemcen and northern Morocco, and a French quartet – powerful collaboration with Kayhan to Traditional Crossroads’ usual high a short space of time.

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