Brahem, Anouar: The Astounding Eyes Of Rita

This is the first release I have heard from ECM Records and I have to say this is a fine piece of music. The new CD by Tunisia born Anouar Brahem entitled The Astounding Eyes Of Rita is a real treat for fans of jazz music with nods to classical, Latin American, Middle Eastern and chamber music. Brahem plays the oud, a pear-shaped string instrument commonly used in Middle Eastern music. Joining Brahem are German clarinetist Klaus Gesing (bass clarinet), Swedish bass player Björn Meyer and Lebanese percussionist Khaled Yassine (darbouka, bendir). All of these musicians are experts on their chosen instruments and add their own flavour to these eight compositions, all of which were written by Brahem.

The oud forms the melodic structure in these songs and Brahem demonstrates tremendous skill on the instrument throughout. Sounding a little like acoustic guitar, he creates many beautiful melodies upon which the songs are built. Latin and Middle Eastern sounds are woven expertly throughout giving the disc a strong exotic flavour. Bass clarinet adds a deep richness to the overall sound and is a perfect fit for Brahem's delicate picking. Yassine's use of goblet drums adds an element of warm earthy tones that glues it all together and helps to emphasize the world music themes. The album starts with the contemplative "The Lover Of Beirut" which begins with lovely oud playing and is joined by some rich bass clarinet sounds. A simple melody is carried through the song and Middle Eastern motifs give the music an exotic feel. The classy "Dance With Waves" has beautiful playing all around starting and ending with deep resonating clarinet. Check out the sweet bass line on this one. In the Arabic sounding "Al Birwa", Brahem absolutely rips it up with the oud and the clarinet playing is also very nice.

This is a first class effort from Brahem, but I suppose we should expect nothing less from ECM Records. If you are into mellow, jazz tinged ethnic music with exotic flavours I recommend this CD without hesitation. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Track Listing:
1. The Lover Of Beirut
2. Dance With Waves
3. Stopover At Djibouti
4. The Astounding Eyes Of Rita
5. Al Birwa
6. Galilee Mon Amour
7. Waking State
8. For No Apparent Reason

Added: November 15th 2009
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 2325
Language: english

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