Alep-Brest

Aleppo in northern Syria has lived through tragedy. Its name now resonates with the pain of a brutal war, which makes the grace and beaut of its artistic traditions all the more vital, precious and important. Many of those traditions are now being preserved outside the country. Here is one such delicate piece of cultural preservation from an exiled oud player in France.

Fawaz Baker was once the head of the Aleppo Conservatory of Music. Today, he travels from France to the refugee camps of Lebanon to keep the music of his home town alive among its diaspora. His four-piece ensemble bring together a meditative collection of pieces in the Middle Eastern maqam modal tradition, mostly traditional with arrangements by Baker.

In this ensemble, Baker is joined by Syrian percussionist Samir Homsi, guitarist Manon Courtin and double bassist Helena Récalde. Aleppo is one of the great cosmopolitan centres of the Islamic world, and these Arabic, Syrian, Armenian, Turkish and Kurdish tunes – including a languid tango by the great Aleppan Omar al-Batsh – illustrate its richness. This album echoes a soundscape, the influences of which stretch from Morocco and Spain all the way into Central Asia. It's a hypnotic journey.