In the Wake of Memories

A Syrian refugee, an international aid worker and a philosopher walk into a recording studio… When three musicians from very different backgrounds come together, the results of their collaboration are likely to be worth a listen and these performers certainly have an interesting backstory. For starters, they initially met while playing live with the birds in Berlin woods! Wissam Mukdad is a Syrian doctor who suffered repeated torture in his native land before escaping to Berlin and developing twin careers as a medic and oud player; percussionist Volker Lankow has worked as a nurse in war zones and with mentally-ill criminals; David Rothenberg is a clarinet playing philosopher, writer and producer.

The music they make could be described as dark, atmospheric and haunting, with shades of the Middle East. The whole album was recorded in a day and much of it sounds improvised – sometimes to good effect and sometimes the inspiration doesn’t quite spark. The music would possibly best be experienced live, as a soundtrack or while reading an absorbing book. A Syrian refugee, an international aid worker and a philosopher – fine musicians all – walk into a recording studio and produce a pleasant, if unremarkable, album.