Traveling East

What makes Dutch guitarist Jan Wouter Oostenrijk’s latest and sixth solo album, Traveling East, stand out is its fascinating fusion of North African, Arabic and blues music, masterfully blended into what seems like an obvious marriage of sound, albeit highly unusual. Essentially an acoustic guitar album sprinkled with subtle rhythms produced by Jordanian percussionist Nasser Salameh, Traveling East is remarkably dynamic in tempo and character. Oostenrijk uniquely ‘plays quarter-tone guitar with a customised fretboard’ to create the album’s traditional Arabic flavours, taking the listener on a wild journey with eight innovative tracks that range from upbeat to melancholy. Highlights include Oostenrijk’s momentous taqsim performance in ‘Taqsim in Maqam Bayat’, the seductive Sahara desert blues of ‘Carry On’ and the ominous tone and steady offbeat of ‘Displaced’. The album concludes with a delightful and upbeat rendition of Lebanese singer Fairuz’ famous song ‘Nassem Elena el Hawa’. Oostenrijk said that making the album gave him tarab, an Arab expression that ‘describes how you let go of your own world of thoughts and [get] carried away by the music in feelings such as joy, sadness, wonder, trance and ecstasy.’ Traveling East successfully gives tarab to its happy listeners too.