Badā

Farah Kaddour’s inaugural solo venture, Badā, unfolds as a deliberate exploration of the buzuq, a Persian lute akin to the Greek bouzouki or Turkish saz. Kaddour is a researcher, educator and musician hailing from Beirut, Lebanon. Badā showcases her technical prowess as a buzuq player, drawing on her wealth of experience in folk and classical Arabic music through this sparse but purposeful album.

The intentional minimalism of Badā serves to cast the buzuq into the spotlight, offering a rare solo perspective on the instrument, accentuated by Kaddour’s distinctive position as a female player in a male-dominated realm. The album’s strength lies in its personal and virtuosic expression, featuring primarily improvised pieces along with a traditional composition (‘Bulbul el-Afrāh’) and the original ‘Madd ou Jazr’. Collaborating with percussionist Ali El Hout on the latter, the addition of the Persian daf makes for a captivating track. ‘Taraddud’ is another highlight, showcasing a percussive, rhythmic strumming style reminiscent of Rodrigo y Gabriela at times.

In contrast to Kaddour’s experimental sextet SANAM, Badā feels more like an ethnomusicological study than an innovative musical endeavour – an almost academic approach, not so surprising given her educational background. Nevertheless, the album’s significance lies in its contribution to the buzuq repertoire, making it a noteworthy release.