Reviews
The Rough Guide to Arabic Café
What exactly does Arabic Café mean? The liner notes to this CD explain that, in contrast to the clinical coffeehouse...
Reviewed in issue Apr/May/2014
Deeyah Presents: Iranian Woman
One of the most interesting untold stories (outside Iran) of music after the 1979 revolution is the emergence of an...
Reviewed in issue Apr/May/2014
Makan
Driss El Maloumi’s previous solo album L’Âme Dansée showed him to be one of the most promising oud (lute) players...
Reviewed in issue March/2014
Birds Requiem
Just how many jazz oud recordings does the world really need? While there certainly is a shared tradition of improvisation...
Reviewed in issue March/2014
Les Nuits
This collaboration between the Anglo-Middle Eastern singer and Egyptian composer and multi-instrumentalist Samy Bishai emerged from a stage collaboration with...
Reviewed in issue March/2014
Grandmother’s Dance
Ahmad al Khatib’s 2012 album Sabîl was one of the most exciting oud (Arab lute) recordings in recent years. His...
Reviewed in issue Jan/Feb/2014
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An Anthology (1857-1912)
This is a cross¬section of the legacy of Egyptian singer Abd Al-Hayy Hilmi, whose final years of life coincided with...
Reviewed in issue Jan/Feb/2014
Oriental Blues
Oriental Blues has a slightly curious concept, but one that the liner notes of this CD go to some lengths...
Reviewed in issue Jan/Feb/2014
Hâfez & Goethe: Divân
Abed Azrié is the sort of intellectual musician who could probably only flourish in France. Born in Syria’s most cultured...
Reviewed in issue Jan/Feb/2014
New Dawn
The opening track of this young Israeli duo’s debut recording is staggering. It’s clear from the outset that guitarist Itamar...
Reviewed in issue Jan/Feb/2014
