Near & Middle Eastern World Music Thread

[king ubu]

Has anybody heard Dhafer Youssef?

This was sent to me by a friend earlier this year - some info is on the enja website. I find his mixture of Arabian music and ambience music not always attractive - I dislike drum machines. But the second half of the disc is very nice. king ubu told me he saw him live with just bass and drums and it was fantastic!

Markus Stockhausen was there, too, with his strange small (C?) trumpet and some delay/echo stuff, very very nice musician, he, too! Bass and drums were Dieter Ilg and Jojo Mayer. Yusef is a vey charismatic person, I think. His singing is rather idiosyncratic, and I think not everyone would like it. Live though it propels tons of energy!

I have this CD of his:

It features some of the same musicians I saw him with live, but it's more of a laid-back affair. I find it very very nice.

Somehow I cannot take Abou-Khalil anytime, I think I slightly prefer Yousef, but then also I see that Abou-Khalil's projects are more interesting, more elaborate, and have higher ambitions, too.

[mikeweil]

Somehow I cannot take Abou-Khalil anytime, I think I slightly prefer Yousef, but then also I see that Abou-Khalil's projects are more interesting, more elaborate, and have higher ambitions, too.

Ironically, I like Abou-Khalil's music best when it is the purest Arabian in style:

is my favourite - his take on a modern Arabian music rooted in the tradition. I think drum sets in particular do not mesh well with oriental plucked string instruments, and both Mark Nauseef and Jarrod Cagwin are pretty busy players. I play in a band that attempts to fuse traditional Zaza music with Jazz etc. and we always try to keep the balance slightly on the traditional side. Very difficult process.

But of course Abou-Khalil does a great job - too bad I always was on the road when he performed here. He will be doing a soloist's tour in spring, I will try to catch him in Frankfurt.

[mikeweil]

IMHO, "Exile" was one of the best Jazz releases of 2003. I like this CD a lot. In a twisted kinda way, this is one of the most Israeli Jazz CDs I've ever heard (twisted, becasue of Atzmon's hatred towards Israel and Zionism)

An interesting comparison can be made between Atzmon and most of Israeli world music groups:

While all of these musicians fuse together east and west msucial genres, Atzmon uses his music to advocate antagonism towards the state of Israel as well as a complete identification with the plight of the Palestinians. His music is his soap box and he uses it explicitely and vocally.

The Israeli groups treat music as music per se. The facts that these groups blend in their music both Arabic and Jewish musical elements, the musicians are often both Jews and Arabs, convey the subtext of a coexistence and the merits of a pluralistic society.

Oh, another difference is the fact that Atzmon has made a choice to live in exile (in his own words) while those Jewish-Israeli groups continue to live and "preach" their philosophy in Israel

Can this be read as a conflicting attitude towards one's musical traditions? That would explain to me why I hear so much diversity in his playing that sounds eclectic to me rather than a real personal fusion of all these influences - but then this would reflect the way he sees culture in Israel - or his own? Very complex subject.

[White Lightning]

Ironically, I like Abou-Khalil's music best when it is the purest Arabian in style:

is my favourite - his take on a modern Arabian music rooted in the tradition.

Mike, have you heard this CD by Abou-Khalil:

Tarab

It's another of Abou-Khalil more traditional efforts, with no western instruments. It's a very good one imho.

Edited December 6, 2004 by White Lightning

[White Lightning]

Can this be read as a conflicting attitude towards one's musical traditions? That would explain to me why I hear so much diversity in his playing that sounds eclectic to me rather than a real personal fusion of all these influences - but then this would reflect the way he sees culture in Israel - or his own? Very complex subject.

I'm not sure.

Israel's culture is VERY diversed and consists of several sub-cultures, each in a constant change and so is the relation between the different sub-cultures: There are times when any of these sub-cultures clash, while other times they coexist.

But it's not just the Israeli culture that causes such ecclectism and perhaps even dissonance that one can hear in Atzmon's music, I believe it is also a represntation of Atzmon's state of mind as well.

Atzmon is an Israeli. He is the product of our culture. That is HIS culture and HIS reference group. He chose to exile from his homeland and advocate against Israel. I believe that feeling of detachment and alienation he feels not living in Israel are well represnted in his work. He also makes an analogy between these feelings and the feelings of the Palestinian refugees, forced to live away from their homes for decades.

[mikeweil]

Mike, have you heard this CD by Abou-Khalil:

Tarab

It's another of Abou-Khalil more traditional efforts, with no western instruments. It's a very good one imho.

I have Tarab - very good, but I like Roots & Sprouts better - just my taste.

I don't like the way the frame drum sounds on Tarab - probably miked closely. They sound best when the microphone is placed at about ten feet distance, but then you have to give up on isolation - most engineers will not go for this.

[Tony Pusey]

I am playing the hell out of the latest Khaled album which i bought as a sweetener for the missus when I came home last week with 15 K2s!!! Fact is I played all the K2s once and the Khaled at least 10 times!

Otherwise Fado and Leila Downs are on heavy rotation chez nous.

[White Lightning]

Another Israeli group is:

Ziryab Trio

Ziryab trio was founded to give a deeper expression of Oriental Art music and its various genres. The members of Ziryab, who are also members of the Bustan Avraham group, decided that besides the ethnic fusion of Bustan Avraham, they want to further explorebe the rich oriental tradition in order to create new and original music.

As in Bustan, Ziryab has both Jewish Israeli and Arab Israelis members: Taiseer Elias – Oud; Nassim Dakwar – Violin, Zohar Fresco – Percussion. The ensemble in its instrumental make up is the basis nucleus of any Middle Eastern classical music ensemble (Takht), which usually includes five instruments: Oud, Violin, Qanoun, Riqq (Similar to Tambourine) & Ney (reed flute).

Ziryab is performing Arab & Turkish music from the 19th and 20th century.

Here's a song (in LoFi, sorry) called Khutwat Habibi (steps of my beloved) by Aboul Wahab – the most famous Arab singer ever. Abdoul Wahab was also an Oud player and a famous composer.

Edited December 8, 2004 by White Lightning

[porcy62]

I am listening to 'A New Hot One' of David Krakauer. Whow, I forgot I had this cd.

I realized I have a lot of so-called 'world music' (not a great definition, all the music coming from the world, a part Sun Ra). I remember how great and exciting was discovering Nusrath Fateh Ali Khan and Ali Farka Toure twentyfive years ago. (I know, I know Coltrane and friends discovered WM twenty years before me).

I think I bought almost all the Real World cds, and from World Circuit, Label Blue, ecc.

Maybe it depends on my love for travelling, I still have somewhere the cassettes I bought in Burma, India, Morocco... (my tape deck passed away years ago).

[porcy62]

A part Krakauer (east europe klezmer music) I would suggest Cheikha Remitti.

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:fme097r7krkt

[7/4]

Shaheen is great - I have all of his records. Is his career in the US in any way affected by the 9/11 incident? He runs a very nice website, but I don't see any recent concert dates.

It looks like it's been redesigned, but still no concert dates. I always seem to hear about them after they happen.

I'm under the impression he lives in NY.