Anouar Brahem Trio ‎– Astrakan Café

The Tunisian oud genius has done it again. Anouar Brahem has issued only five records under his own name over the past decade, each more adventurous than the last, without compromising his original vision: for the music of his region to meet with the other music of Africa and Asia and create a delirious sound that is equal thirds past, present, and future, along the precipice of historical lineage. For Brahem there is no attempt to synthesize the globe, or even the sounds of the East with those of the West. He is content in his knowledge that sound is infinite, and that his tradition, as it evolves and expands into a deeper pan-African/trans-Asian whole, is more than large enough for a master musician to rummage through in one lifetime. "Astrakan Café", the follow-up to his brilliant "Thimar", is a smaller-sounding recording that reaches farther into the deep crags of the Balkans.

With Barbaros Erköse on clarinet and the Indian and Turkish percussion stylings of the professor of somber precision, Lassad Hosni, Brahem's oud enters into a dialogue, musically, that has never before existed (though he has collaborated with both players previously). Erköse is a Turkish clarinetist of gypsy origin. His low, warm, rounded tones are consonant with the oud. Erköse plays equal parts music of the Balkan and Arab worlds with a tinge of the ancient klezmorim whispering their secrets through his horn. Despite the journeying these musicians do here, they never stray far from the takht, a small ensemble capable of improvising to the point of drunken ecstasy. Listening through "Astrakan Café", you can hear the gypsy flamenco tied deeply to Indian ragas and even a kind of Eastern jazz. But there is no hyperactivity in it, no need to cram as many traditions as possible into one putridly excessive mix that expresses nothing but the novelty of the moment.

"Astrakan Café" has many highlights: its two title tracks that have their roots in Russian and Azerbaijan music; "Ashkabad," which is an improvisation on a melody from the folk music of Turkmenistan; "Astara," a modal improvisation based on love songs from Azerbaijan; "Halfounie," a segment from a Brahem-composed soundtrack inspired by the medina or marketplace in Tunis; and "Parfum de Gitanie," which takes a fragment from Ethiopian sacred music, slows it to the point of stillness, and waxes lazily and jazzily over the top, with the oud and the clarinet trading syncopated eights. This is deeply personal, profound music. It is also highly iconographic, with timelessness woven through every measure. The only "exotica" on "Astrakan Café" is its "otherness" out of space and any discernable era. The tempos are languid and full of purpose, the dynamics clean and clearly demarcated, the tones and modes warm, rich, and linear. This would be traditional music if a tradition such as this -- which is original, though adapted from many sources on inspiration -- actually existed. Highly recommended. - allmusic.com

Anouar Brahem's oud playing is expressive, entrancing and beautiful. It's so moving and anthemic it's hard to believe any listener wouldn't be frequently overwhelmed by Brahem's brilliance. While one can debate whether Brahem's music should be considered jazz or world or some hybrid of the two, there's no denying the songs on Astrakan Cafe rank among the most lyrical and elegant in any genre. Brahem blends elements of traditional Arab and Islamic religious and popular music with just a slight nod to the American improvising tradition. His spiraling passages and energetic forays reflect some jazz influence, but the overall tone and sound of the work is more North African and Eastern than Western.

Barbaros Erkose, on clarinet, and Lassad Hosni, on percussive instruments bendir and darbouka, prove equally exciting players. The usual splendid ECM engineering and production ensure a rich, rippling trio sound that fully accents the quality of Brahem's oud flights, Erkose's clarinet answers and Hosni's delicate alternating between challenging and exemplifying the duo's statements. The song menu shifts from serious recountings of vintage compositions to film soundtrack pieces, joyous exchanges and somber, probing exchanges. This is Anouar Brahem's sixth date for ECM; here's wishing that he'll get many more chances to display his amazing abilities for international audiences. - jazztimes.com               

Tracklist:

1. "Aube Rouge à Grozny" (Barbaros Erköse) - 4:22
2. "Astrakan Café Part 1" - 3:18
3. "The Mozdok's Train" - 4:46
4. "Blue Jewels" - 8:31
5. "Nihawend Lunga" (Jamil Bey) - 3:32
6. "Ashkabad" (Anouar Brahem, Barbaros Erköse, Lassad Hosni) - 5:38
7. "Halfaouine" - 5:57
8. "Parfumo de Gitane" - 7:03
9. "Khotan" - 3:31
10. "Karakoum" - 5:08
11. "Astara" - 10:46
12. "Dar Es Salam" - 3:47
13. "Hijaz Pechref" (Brahem, Osman Bey Fragment) - 6:24
14. "Astrakan Café Part 2" - 4:49

Recorded at Monastery of St Gerold in Austria in June 1999

Anouar Brahem Trio ‎– Astrakan Café
(256 kbps, cover art included)