History Has a Heartbeat

Born in Cairo, Egypt and having emigrated to Australia aged three, Joseph Tawadros has done much to expand the boundaries of the Egyptian oud. Over the course of two decades, he has crossed over into the worlds of jazz and Western classical music, and boasts an impressively prolific work-rate that averages one album a year.

On this present release (his 20th), Tawadros has formed a unique collaborative partnership with William Barton, a master of the yidaki (didgeridoo). The pair are joined by Sam Golding on trumpet and flugelhorn, Leonard Grigoryan on classical and 12-string guitar, and Tawadros’ brother James on riq, tar and bendir percussion. The 26 pieces range from longer, more structured compositions to shorter, semi-improvised vignettes. Several of the latter segue into each other and reiterate familiar themes, creating a flowing stream-of-consciousness, evoking a decidedly oneiric quality. The combination of textures – seldom heard before, if ever – is impeccably well chosen, with Barton's resonant drones and rhythms providing a bed for Tawadros’ virtuosic oud runs. A celebration of both Tawadros’ Egyptian heritage and the cultures of Indigenous Australia, History Has a Heartbeat is an emotionally rich work that is at once euphoric, dynamic, and deeply introspective.