Bet

Bet is the second offering from Jerusalem-based world music fusion band AndraLaMoussia. Both the album title and the band name are somewhat self-explanatory when you know what they mean – bet being the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet and andralamoussia meaning chaos or bedlam. While umpteen genres and styles flow through the CD, it is all done seamlessly and harmoniously, in every sense of the word. There is no feeling of disorder anywhere in the 13 tracks, originals and traditionals alike. The opening track, ‘Morning Coffee,’ written by vocalist and baglama (lute) player Itai Binnun, puts the listener right in the heart of downtown Middle East. Binnun gets the show going by unfurling emotive ney lines that soar and hover enticingly over a softly growling frame-drum substratum. The plot takes a surprising turn as accordionist Vitaly Podolsky enters, underpinned by understated bass guitar, before drummer Uriel Sverdin augments the richly woven texture with trotting cymbal and snare drum ornamentation.

Ofer Mizrahi’s electric guitar leaps on the back of Moshe Nuri’s trickling darbuka on Abu’s ‘Hatzer’, which fuses a klezmer melody with a Palestinian folk song. The latter comes through loud and clear on Nizar Rohana’s earthy oud solo, and there is still room for the odd splash of unadulterated rock-orientated colour. Bet gaily crashes through cultural boundaries, and will get even the most leaden-footed of listeners tapping a toe or two at the very least.