Reviews
Ushba: Georgian Harmonies
The group Mze Shina (Inner Sun) is actually a French quartet – three men and one woman – specialising in...
Reviewed in issue Aug/Sep/2012
Dance to the Sun
Turkey has no shortage of baglama (lute) masters working on new forms of expression, and Europe has no shortage of...
Reviewed in issue Aug/Sep/2012
Radio Beirut: Sounds from the 21st Century
There’s an inevitable overlap between Radio Beirut, compiled by the German journalist Dagmar Golle, and last year’s Golden Beirut CD...
Reviewed in issue Aug/Sep/2012
Fasl-i Rembetiko
Deep currents are crossing the blue Aegean – the Greek economic crisis and the Turkish ascent are altering old balances,...
Reviewed in issue Aug/Sep/2012
If Like Birds and Angels I Could Fly
Hossein & Raha Alizadeh with the Hamavayan Ensemble
Perhaps the most striking aspect of this recent album by Hossein Alizadeh & the Hamavayan Ensemble is its showcasing of...
Reviewed in issue Aug/Sep/2012
Twinklings of Hope
I first heard Iranian sisters Mahsa & Marjan Vahdat in Istanbul in 2006. The power in their voices, so perfectly...
Reviewed in issue Aug/Sep/2012
Soundshades
This is an intriguing album with moments of genuine excitement, beauty and ingenuity. Soundshades is the first recording from Yaron...
Reviewed in issue Aug/Sep/2012
Sufiyan
This is quite an extraordinary project for fans of the Turkish ney – the reed flute that is at the...
Reviewed in issue July/2012
Georgia: Sacred & Secular Vocal Polyphony
Georgian polyphony is one of the most glorious sounds in the world – a dozen or so singers (usually male)...
Reviewed in issue July/2012
Chante Adonis
Both the singer Abed Azrié and the poet Adonis (the pen-name of Ali Ahmad Said Esber) are typical of a...
Reviewed in issue July/2012
