John Berberian - Middle Eastern Rock (Verve, 1969)

[Teasing the Korean]

I have some of John Berberian's more "traditional" middle eastern records, but I just got the reissue of this Verve album from 1969, that adds bass, drums, and electric guitar, and sax to the mix.  Joe Beck is on guitar.  Overall, it comes off kind of a like a Gabor Szabo record, but maybe more intense and less introspective.

[Bill Nelson]

I've been digging the recent 'Middle Eastern Rock' CD of Berberian (Verve, via Modern Harmonic).

As Johnny Carson would've said, "That's some wild, wild stuff!" 

[unitstructures]

This is a pretty fun album. Nice mixture of sounds happening here. Cool cover too. 

Sort of reminds me of the German fusion group Embryo, particularly their albums Rocksession (with Mal Waldron) and We Carry On (with Charlie Mariano). 

Anyone have more recommendations on similar sounding LPs?

[Teasing the Korean]

On 1/1/2023 at 2:20 PM, unitstructures said:

Anyone have more recommendations on similar sounding LPs?

I highly recommend Herbie Mann's Impressions of the Middle East, circa 1966 or 67, on Atlantic.  This album is a longtime favorite of mine, and when I used to DJ, it was perpetually in the DJ crate!