Thursday, March 21, 2013
Anouar Brahem - Astrakan Café
The Tunisian oud genius has done it again. Anouar Brahem has issued only five records under his own name over the past decade, each more adventurous than the last, without compromising his original vision: for the music of his region to meet with the other music of Africa and Asia and create a delirious sound that is equal thirds past, present, and future, along the precipice of historical lineage. For Brahem there is no attempt to synthesize the globe, or even the sounds of the East with those of the West. He is content in his knowledge that sound is infinite, and that his tradition, as it evolves and expands into a deeper pan-African/trans-Asian whole, is more than large enough for a master musician to rummage through in one lifetime. Astrakan Café, the follow-up to his brilliant Thimar, is a smaller-sounding recording that reaches farther into the deep crags of the Balkans. With Barbaros Erköse on clarinet and the Indian and Turkish percussion stylings of the professor of somber precision, Lassad Hosni, Brahem's oud enters into a dialogue, musically, that has never before existed (though he has collaborated with both players previously). Erköse is a Turkish clarinetist of gypsy origin. His low, warm, rounded tones are consonant with the oud. Erköse plays equal parts music of the Balkan and Arab worlds with a tinge of the ancient klezmorim whispering their secrets through his horn. Despite the journeying these musicians do here, they never stray far from the takht, a small ensemble capable of improvising to the point of drunken ecstasy. Listening through Astrakan Café, you can hear the gypsy flamenco tied deeply to Indian ragas and even a kind of Eastern jazz. But there is no hyperactivity in it, no need to cram as many traditions as possible into one putridly excessive mix that expresses nothing but the novelty of the moment. Astrakan Café has many highlights: its two title tracks that have their roots in Russian and Azerbaijan music; "Ashkabad," which is an improvisation on a melody from the folk music of Turkmenistan; "Astara," a modal improvisation based on love songs from Azerbaijan; "Halfounie," a segment from a Brahem-composed soundtrack inspired by the medina or marketplace in Tunis; and "Parfum de Gitanie," which takes a fragment from Ethiopian sacred music, slows it to the point of stillness, and waxes lazily and jazzily over the top, with the oud and the clarinet trading syncopated eights. This is deeply personal, profound music. It is also highly iconographic, with timelessness woven through every measure. The only "exotica" on Astrakan Café is its "otherness" out of space and any discernable era. The tempos are languid and full of purpose, the dynamics clean and clearly demarcated, the tones and modes warm, rich, and linear. This would be traditional music if a tradition such as this -- which is original, though adapted from many sources on inspiration -- actually existed. Highly recommended. - by Thom Yurek, AMG
I just saw them play this set in Munich. The interaction of the oud, the clarinet and the drums is wonderful. The rhythms seem to pull at each other and then one instrumental voice rises to lead the others before floating back into tight harmony with the others. The album was recorded in a cathedral in Austria and captures some of the feeling of the live concert. It is emotional, haunting. It manages to be both jazzy and middle eastern at the same time without sacrificing anything for either identity. This is music to play on a late night, on a snowy day, or in a smoky cafe. - Joyce L. Tompsett, Amazon.com
Artist: Anouar Brahem Trio
Album: Astrakan Café
Year: 2000
Label: ECM
Runtime: 73:54
Tracks:
1. Aube rouge a Grozny (Barbaros Erköse) 4:22
2. Astrakan Cafe I (Anouar Brahem) 3:18
3. The Mozdock's Train (Anouar Brahem) 4:46
4. Blue Jewel (Anouar Brahem) 8:31
5. Nikawand Lunga (Jamil Bey) 3:32
6. Ashkabad (Anouar Brahem/Barbaros Erköse/Lassad Hosni) 5:38
7. Halfaouine (Anouar Brahem) 5:57
8. Parfum de Gitane (Anouar Brahem) 7:03
9. Khotan (Anouar Brahem) 3:31
10. Karahoum (Anouar Brahem) 5:08
11. Astara (Anouar Brahem) 10:48
12. Hijaz pechref (Osman Bey) 6:24
13. Astrakan cafe II (Anouar Brahem) 4:49
Personnel:
Anouar Brahem (Oud)
Barbaros Erköse (Clarinet)
Lassad Hosni (Bendir, Darbouka)
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