#4196: Music With Arab Roots
Listen to works that combine the sounds of Arabic music with sounds of Western jazz, rock, and/or electronics, like Maurice Louca, Sabry Mosbah, Brickwork Lizards, and Epichorus.
Hear music by Tunisian musician Sabry Mosbah, from his record, Mes Racines (My Roots). Mosbah creates ritualistic trance-like music rooted in North Africa on “Rock Mjarred.” Then listen to the Cairo-based guitarist and pianist Maurice Louca and a 12-piece ensemble of players from Italy, Iraq, Sweden, Turkey, and Denmark. On his record, Elephantine, Arabic melody, African and Yemeni music come together with the spiritual jazz of John and Alice Coltrane, the sounds of minimalism, and trance music.
Also, listen to music from Alif, a band named for the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. The musicians are from Egypt and Lebanon (including Maurice Louca) andthe song we’ll hear is a setting of a poem by Mahmoud Darwish. Then, hear a multi-textured gathering of Indo-Arabic-Brooklyn sounds by the New York group, Epichorus, a small ensemble of classical Arab instruments with western bass and electric organ and a singer who comes from the Indian classical tradition.
There’s also music by British-Iraqi singer and composer, Alya Marquardt, and the New York-based Shamash Ensemble. Theirs is a unique project fusing Iraqi folk music, contemporary jazz, human beatbox, improvisation and Arabic maqam.
From the UK, hear music from the Oxford band Brickwork Lizards who combine classical Arab music with an appreciation for the pre-war jazz of the Ink Spots. The band’s eight members come from as wide-ranging musical experiences as Arabic classical ensembles (Oxford Maqam) and top-of-the-pop charting bands (Saint Etienne). Plus, listen to music from the Tunisian oud player, Anouar Brahem from his most recent small ensemble record, Blue Maqams, and more. -Caryn Havlik
Program #4196: Music With Arab Roots (First aired 1/23/2019)
ARTIST: Sabry Mosbah
WORK: Rock Mjarred [1:00]
RECORDING: Mes Racines
SOURCE: Accords Croisés
INFO: accords-croises.com
ARTIST: Maurice Louca
WORK: The Palm of a Ghost [5:46]
RECORDING: Elephantine
SOURCE: Northern Spy, due out Feb. 1
INFO: northernspyrecs.com/product/elephantine
ARTIST: Alif
WORK: Dars Min Kama Sutra (A Lesson from Kama Sutra) [6:40]
RECORDING: Aynama-Rtama
SOURCE/INFO: alifmusic.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Sabry Mosbah
WORK: Rock Mjarred [6:39]
RECORDING: Mes Racines
SOURCE: Accords Croisés
INFO: accords-croises.com
ARTIST: Epichorus
WORK: Azlat (She Wanders) [7:47]
RECORDING: Najara
SOURCE: National Sawdust
INFO: nationalsawdust.org | epichorus.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Alya Marquardt & The Shamash Ensemble
WORK: Khadri El Chai [6:26]
RECORDING: Chai Party
SOURCE: Two Rivers Records
INFO: tworiversrecords.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Brickwork Lizards
WORK: Hijaz Mandira [4:41]
RECORDING: Haneen
SOURCE/INFO: brickworklizards.com
ARTIST: Anouar Brahem
WORK: Persepolis's Mirage [8:06]
RECORDING: Blue Maqams
SOURCE: ECM Records 2580
INFO: ecmrecords.com
ARTIST: Daniel Herskedal
WORK: Thurayya Railway, excerpt [1:25]
RECORDING: The Roc
SOURCE: Edition Records
INFO: danielherskedal.bandcamp.com
