The latest release from the California-based Middle Eastern duo Wahid titled Road Poem to be released on Sept. 25, 2012, utilizes the Middle Eastern lute known as the Oud. Wahid consists of two skilled jazz, world and rock musicians, Dimitris Mahlis, who plays the Oud and Chris Wabich, who plays the frame drums and does the percussion. Together, these two veteran musicians evoke both subtle and crushing notes from a delicate instrument and make it speak.

Both Mahlis and Wabich have performed with and recorded with the cream of the Los Angeles music scene and beyond. A student of Turkish Oud master Ustad Necati Celik, Mahlis has played with international stars from Bollywood composer extraordinaire A.R. Rahman to jazz trumpeter Freddy Hubbard to admired Greek performers like Dionyssios Savoppoulos in addition to contributing to numerous major motion picture soundtracks. As for Wabich, he’s recorded with an assortment of renowned musicians from Leonard Cohen to rapper Ludacris and performed with a variety of international musical talents such as like Turkish legend Omar Faruk and revered jazz vocalist Mark Murphy.

On Road Poem, which was captured live, Wahid melds contemporary melodies with extemporization while gradually infusing Middle Eastern traditions throughout. Their profound arrangements and singular panache bring about tracks that communicate to listeners and touch their souls.

“Alexander’s Regrets” does just this as Mahlis plays the Oud with such passion as Wabich blends the frame drums and percussion. Each strain conveys the Middle Eastern vibe the duo wishes to project and could musically transport listeners to that enchanted world of ancient civilizations and long ago customs.

“Looking for Paradise” begins slowly as Mahlis’ Oud plays has a more solemn tone mixed with Wabich’s percussion and his frame drums playing faintly in the background. Its rhythm and tempo could make listeners imagine that they’re in a dream that transports them to a faraway utopia of exquisite sands, breathtaking landscapes and flawless mirages where anything is possible.

Wahid is set to take their poetic message on the road performing in late September and early October on the West Coast including the Bay Area and Napa, CA.

In conclusion, Wahid’s Road Poem is a masterful expression of Middle Eastern pulses that transform into musical rhymes, which each tell a story that listeners will want to envelop themselves in.

My comments are a bit tough because this is, indeed, the sort of album one loves or hates. It’s also the kind that harsher critics than I call the folk equivalent of rock operas, though the label I’d use is New Age. Like most music in that genre, it’s inoffensive even when it’s over-the-top, and a lot of it has a soothing quality. I can’t say any of it grabbed me. As I said in my opening remarks, it felt like music that needed another context to bring it to life. If your cup of tea is chamomile, you might find more enjoyment than I. My brew of choice is strong coffee. –Rob Weir