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World Riddims Middle East-West Harmony
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MixMagWeb.com, World Riddims Middle East-West Harmony >>
By Eric Feber
Mention Palestine or Iran and thoughts of “Death to America,” radical Islam, the fomentation of armed insurgency or jihad may come to the minds of many Americans.
But thanks to two recent releases the countries should also conjure images of musicians combining Western music styles with those of their own cultures. Le Trio Joubran’s “Majaz,” and Pouya Mahmoodi’s “Mehr,” showcase Middle Eastern music in modern and creative contexts.
“Majaz,” is the second release from Le Trio Joubran, three Palestinian brothers - Samir, Wissam and Adnan who hail from Nazareth. The three are masters of the oud, a centuries-old pear-shaped stringed instrument with no frets. It’s a precursor to the lute, and, much later, the guitar. It figures heavily in much classic and popular Arabic and Middle Eastern music.
Going a more modern route, Iranian guitarist/singer/composer Pouya Mahmoodi on his debut release “Mehr,” strums his electric guitar through songs based on Persian poetry and music styles melded to good ol’ western rock and roll and jazz fusion.
Raised on his father’s collection of Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin records - gathered prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution - Mahmoodi began combining those influences with indigenous Iranian genres which the Tehran native called his “musical accents.”
Using those accents, Mahmoodi has crafted a true “East meets West” debut on “Mehr” (a word with several levels of meaning in Persian culture including “love,” “sun,” “angel” and “light”). He’s created music that includes the depth of emotion found in Persian styles with the progressive rock of Rush and Yes and the fusion sounds of Return to Forever and the Mahavishnu Orchestra.
In fact, two of the album’s cuts feature fusion drummer extraordinaire and former Mahavishnu member Billy Cobham, giving Mahmoodi’s music a coveted fusion imprimatur.
Recorded in Malaysia, Iran and Switzerland, the record features a backing group of a bassist, drummer and violinist who collectively engage in intricate prog-rock arrangements highlighted by Mahmoodi’s sinewy, thin, piercing guitar lines hinting at Middle Eastern melodies and rock guitar shredding.
The Joubran siblings, on the other hand, create new music, much of it improvised, based on centuries-old traditions. The brothers are sons of a master luthier (a maker and repairer of stringed instruments), who, in turn is the son of a master luthier, a tradition that stretches backs to a 4,000-year history of the oud.
Eldest brother Samir was influenced by the flamenco-fusion playing of John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola and Paco de Lucia which he brought onboard when the siblings began experimenting with the tree-oud trio concept.
On “Majaz” (which means “metaphor”), the three create a contemporary acoustic sound firmly, and deeply, rooted in Arabic music traditions but accented by flamenco rhythms and melodies. They perform on instruments crafted by Wissam, the first Arabic luthier to graduate from the Stradivarius Institute in Cremona, Italy.
Their original songs are sweetly melancholy, but with fierce flights of strummed, plucked power and danceable turbulence driven by the rhythms of percussionist Youssef Hbeish. Other times the three weave introspective lead lines and riffs in impressionistic songs that are affirmative and longing at the same time.
Three of the record’s compositions - “Tanasim I, II and III” - feature one brother per tune, with each song highlighted by an improvisation. Collectively, they exude modern melancholy, religiosity and tradition.
“Mehr” and “Majaz” are sterling examples of traditional music styles that are continually evolving. The sounds are not quaint or campy examples of stereotypical Middle Eastern music but showcases of modern creativity and vibrancy within the context of each their rich and deep cultures.And if the artists can get the East and West to listen and dance together in harmony, perhaps there is hope for the same politically. 04/23/08 >> go there
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