Towards the Light

Three musicians from different parts of the globe get together in Montréal, Canada, and decide to form a band. There’s Amichai Ben Shalev, born in Winnipeg, with roots in Argentina, who plays the bandoneón, the concertina used in many tango ensembles; Abdul-Wahab Kayyali from Lebanon on oud; and Iranian percussionist Hamin Honari (whose Migrant Voices collaboration with guitarist Itamar Erez was reviewed in Songlines #198). And the result is a classy fusion set of instrumental pieces with influences that range from Middle Eastern styles to tango, along with swirling mood pieces that edge towards jazz. The oud dominates for much of the set, spurred on by urgent percussion on the opening ‘City of Ashes’, with bandoneón to the fore on ‘Bagelissimo (Mile End Tango) (feat Reza Abaee and Pierre-Alexandre Maranda)’. The trio are joined by Canadian actor and composer Charles Papasoff on sax for ‘Apatride’, and elsewhere there are contributions from kanun player Didem Başar, Reza Abaee on the ghaychak lute and Pierre-Alexandre Maranda on bass. Ideal late-night listening.