Anouar Brahem’s oud playing is expressive, entrancing and beautiful. It’s so moving and anthemic it’s hard to believe any listener wouldn’t be frequently overwhelmed by Brahem’s brilliance. While one can debate whether Brahem’s music should be considered jazz or world or some hybrid of the two, there’s no denying the songs on Astrakan Cafe rank among the most lyrical and elegant in any genre. Brahem blends elements of traditional Arab and Islamic religious and popular music with just a slight nod to the American improvising tradition. His spiraling passages and energetic forays reflect some jazz influence, but the overall tone and sound of the work is more North African and Eastern than Western.
Barbaros Erkose, on clarinet, and Lassad Hosni, on percussive instruments bendir and darbouka, prove equally exciting players. The usual splendid ECM engineering and production ensure a rich, rippling trio sound that fully accents the quality of Brahem’s oud flights, Erkose’s clarinet answers and Hosni’s delicate alternating between challenging and exemplifying the duo’s statements. The song menu shifts from serious recountings of vintage compositions to film soundtrack pieces, joyous exchanges and somber, probing exchanges. This is Anouar Brahem’s sixth date for ECM; here’s wishing that he’ll get many more chances to display his amazing abilities for international audiences.
What are you listening to and WHY might anyone be interested? (Vol. XIII)
Posted by: Richard Dane on 01 January 2017
2017 has arrived today, so time to start this thread afresh.
Last year's thread can be found here;
Finished Playing ........
Agnes Obel - Philharmonics
Streaming from NAS
Notes from All that Music:
Now Playing.....
Annie Lennox - Diva
Time to listen to a selection that the wife enjoys..... that's always a good reason.
Track is from another album, Beiser performing with Kayan Kalhor:
Now playing.......
Annie Lennox - Nostalgia
.....rolling along in time, moving ahead 22 years from the Diva album release to spend some additional time with Annie on this fine Saturday evening.
Now Playing........
Annie Lennox - Songs of Mass Destruction
Moving up another five years to Annie's latest release in 2017.
Streaming from TIDAL
Notes from ALL MUSIC Web Site found here:
an excerpt from the review regard the track 'Sing'
......On the track "Sing," she has donated all proceeds to an AIDS charity TAC (Treatment Action Committee) and enlisted a host of women to sing in a choir who will likely not be heard in the same place again: Beth Gibbons, Madonna, Celine Dion, Beth Orton, Angélique Kidjo, Shakira, Sarah McLachlan, Faith Hill, Fergie, Beverley Knight, Martha Wainwright, k.d. lang, Shingai Shoniwa, KT Tunstall, Bonnie Raitt, Dido, Gladys Knight, Anastacia, and Melissa Etheridge. It's another huge feminist anthem, with a killer hook, a big bad soul/gospel refrain, and a beat that, once it gets into the spine, will not be easily dismissed. ...... ~ Thom Jurek
Now Playing.....
Anouar Brahem Trio - Astrakan Cafe
Anouar Brahem (oud), Barbaros Erkose (clarinet), and Lassad Hosni (bendir and Darbouka)
Recently purchase this CD and taking it out for another spin, now streaming from NAS.....
Review from the Jazz Times website here:
Anouar Brahem Trio: Astrakan Café
Weissenberg/Muti/Philly: Brahms PC1 - '83 rec.
Early EMI digital pressing.
Impassioned Muti + cool, calm & collected Weissenberg.
(2017)
My listenint late last night and early this morning.
dave marshall posted:Gilmour alert!
Tonight ............... Beeb 2 at 22.40 .................. highlights of last year's "Live At Pompeii" surely worth recording?
Nice 
I must add the CD to santa’s list. Do wish it would get released as an HD download, they seem to be missing a trick on that one.
Bruckner - Symphony no. 4
After listening to Yello and her collaboration with Boris Blank I've been inspired to explore Malia's solo work.
On CD:-
Alicia Keys - The Element Of Freedom
Going to spend today with The Beatles, starting with....
Mono vinyl copy donated by my dad.
Grimaud/Nelsons/Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra: Brahms PC1- 2012 rec.
A decent digital recording. I think DG's new release vinyl, for the most part, sound excellent and in some cases much better than their earlier early digital recordings.
Performance wise, this will not be my pick, but it's a pretty good set. Nelsons take on a sweeping softer approach whilst Grimaud does her thing. I am not her fan but out of the recording I have heard to date, I am liking this more than others she's done.
I've noticed that DG has abandoned their familiar yellow label on some of their new pressings.
Chet Baker & Paul Bley - Diane
Very nice relaxing album.
From allmusic.com:
Chet Baker recorded at every opportunity during the last decade or so of his tragic life, with widely varying results due to his drug addiction. But this surprising duo session with pianist Paul Bley is one of his better efforts from this period, focusing primarily on standard ballads by top composers. Bley's playing in the mid-'80s usually was freer in nature, but he willingly plays more mainstream backing for the trumpeter. Baker's tone adds to the poignant air in a rather deliberate interpretation of "If I Should Lose You," with Bley playing beautiful, sparse chords behind him. The duo gels nicely in a midtempo setting of Sonny Rollins' "Pent-Up House," while Baker's "Skidadidlin'" is a low key, bluesy number. Baker sings "You Go to My Head" in a thoughtful manner. First issued on LP, the CD edition added a warm extended performance of Richard Rodgers' "Little Girl Blue" that obviously was omitted at first only due to time restrictions.
TK421 posted:Going to spend today with The Beatles, starting with....
Mono vinyl copy donated by my dad.
In true chronological sequence?
Great Haydn playing...
