Oudists: S/D

Farida is in exile but her shows have been pretty much straight ahead classical stuff the three times I've seen her. Not that much fusion stuff from what I have seen or heard abt her.

Your comments on Wahab are interesting as I only think abt Wahab as a hugely important composer, not a singer. I'll have to delve into this. (any suggestions?)

and no, i have not heard, or heard of, Ali Aldik. Recs?

What I've heard of Blue Flame sounds really bland (and this is what I've heard from other people whose taste is fairly similar to mine in this music). Sorry.

Actually, I am just now getting very interested in exploring Wahab's own recordings more seriously. I like Toul Omri (BGCD603). (www.rashid.com has audio samples, but it is impossible for me to link directly to the page with the CD.) I also just picked up a rather short CD of his called Le Celebre, which is pretty good and contains what seem to be very early recordings (20s?). It's pretty hardcore though. I think every vocal track begins with a standard "Layali" vocal improvisation. (Even if you don't know what I mean, it would be familiar enough if you heard an example of it.)

I have heard weirdly contradictory things about Abdel Wahab: that he lost his voice after a certain point his career; that, no, his singing was good on various recordings throughout his career; and that he didn't lose his voice but that he always had some problems with clearing his throat too much or something (which he does do a lot on some recordings I've heard).

i'll check out the wahab samples - i am fascinated in hearing that vocal aspect. i'm so familiar with his compositional, but not vocal, work that it is exciting to discover this other aspect.

Re Farida, I don't even know here to start in terms of how someone like her plays into the role of traditional music, exile music and especially today. I don't think she is a purely conservationist singer, but i also saw her last about three years ago - i don't know what changes she has (or has not made) since then in her performance, styles of music she performs, etc.

To refer to this though "Maybe I'm wrong and she has a bigger Arab following than I think, and maybe in a reconstructred Iraq she would find a lot of love. "

hmmm, honestly, i have many questions but am abt to go to bed. I'll post 'em tomorrow.

So while western music was discovering or rediscovering improvisation, mostly by way of African slaves and their descendants, the Arabs were beginning to emulate European classical music and moving away from the improvisatory aspects of their musical tradition. This makes me sad, but I guess this type of change is inevitable.

I'm not into Bashir's playing at all, and I don't feel any emotional connection to it. Is there anything more you can say about what you like about his oud playing? (I realize it's not always easy to try to descrbe these things.)

My ideal example of oud playing, which I haven't mentioned yet in this thread, is the solo in Riad el Sounbatti's Ashwak.

Actually, I see now that I did mention Riad el Sounbatti already on this thread. Here's the web-site with some real audio files, but they don't really do justice to his sound.

The CD collecting his oud solos (which I don't own myself) is out of print. He's known primarily as a composer (since he composed the music for more of Oum Kalthoum's songs than any other composer). I think he's also a great oudist. I like him as a singer as well. His voice is more limited than the voices of the more famous stars, but I find it very appealing.

I'm not even finding Ashwaq listed for sale anywhere, so that might be out of print too.

I'm listening to the audio file for "Ashwaq" from the site I just linked too, and I think it still sounds good. I think some of the emotional impact comes from the specific tone he gets, which comes across better on the CD I have. (El Sounbatti has kind of a contemplative style of playing as well. I just find it very moving, especially in the case of this particular solo.) But I think his use of silence and his pacing and sense of rhythm also stand out. Plus it somehow doesn't sound like every other oud solo I've ever heard, even though I think it is pretty strictly traditional. (I'm not sure this is improvised though. It could be composed along with the rest of "Ashwaq.")

"Ashwaq" is a song (with a ten minute oud solo in the minute), but the CD that includes it and two other songs doesn't have any other title I can discern, at least not in English. I can barely make out the catalog number on the cover, and the whole thing looks only partly legitimate, but I think the line between licensed and unlicensed is fuzzier in the middle east. (Much as I've heard that state-run CD shops in Cuba sell CDR copies of CDs released on Cuba's state label EGREM!)

There are a couple el Sounbatti CDs in print, one that I have and one that I don't have (mostly because I've heard the sound was very bad, though I'm surprised that stopped me). I have the one that includes the song "Al Atlal." It's a good CD, but I wouldn't say his oud playing stands out as much there. The playing is good, but it's meant to accent the singing. Hmmm, well, it does sort of drive things forward rhythmically too. I haven't listened to it for a while.

I'm really glad you liked the el Sounbatti file. Yes, I do find that if I listen carefully to this music, it will often deepen my breathing. I really suspect its modelled on the sort of breath-related pauses in Qur'anic recitation.

I wanted to mention the CD by Iraqi oudist (in exile) Rahim AlHaj:Iraqi Music in a Time of War (which I actually found out about from a Christgau review). His style is not that removed from Bachir's in some respects, but it sounds a little more Egyptian to me. (I'm not sure I really know enough to make these judgments though.) Also, it's a little more rhythmic, or rhythmic in a more upfront sort of manner. It's a live recording and I think the second third is better than the first, while the last third is better than the second. He seems to get better as he plays.

One final thing thoug: here are Ali Jihad Racy's comments on these three oudists in "The Many Faces of Improvisation: The Arab Taqasim as a Musical Symbol" (for which I did not write down a source):

Among 'ud players, there are numerous distinctive profiles. For example, the late Farid al-Atrash of Egypt often prefaced his live vocal performances with his own taqasim on the 'ud. Displaying a popular style of 'ud playing seemingly intended to please large live audiences and fans, his renditions stand out for their relatively fast pacing and dense picking, and for making frequent use of the more familiar maqamat. Also striking is the prevalence of cliche qaflat and 'expected surprises,' for example habitaully ending his ud taqasim with a passage in maqam Kurd and gradually introducing a pedal-toen and a melodic configuration outlining the piece 'Asturias' by the Spanish composer Albeniz. Al-Atrash's taqasim are copied widely, at times note for note by amateur ud players, whose imitations often drraw criticism for lacking originality, in other words for being banal and highly predictable.

In contrast, the late Riyad al-Sunbati of Egypt, considered one of the greatest composers and proponents of the Arab modal tradition, has recorded somewhat circumspect taqasim that flow along the organic structures of the mode but evoke intense ecstatic sensations. Particularly cherished by other musicians and musical aficianados, al-Sunbati's style is marked by precise intonation, careful pacing, distinct interest in rsonance, careful utilization of pauses, economy and subtlety in the use of the plectrum, and full exploration of the primary mode before a modulation is introduced. His renditions achieve a unique balance between feeling and technical excellence.

Meanwhile, the late Iraqi 'ud player Munir Bashir, whose style is influenced by the artistry of his Turkish trained teacher Sharif Muhyi al-Din Haydar, presents a highly lyrical style which unlike the traditional mainstream of Arab 'ud playing appears seamless, thus avoiding clear cut qaflat and phrase delineations. Many of his (typically long) performances stay in the same maqam and maintain a subdued, meditative mood quite consistently. Listeners sometimes pseak of non-Arab inluences on his style, including North Indian ragas and jazz. Having performed in various major cities in Asia, Europe, and North America, Bashir has created improvisatory works that are intended to evoke specific impressions, for example those of ancient Babylon. Deriving significantly from the Iraqi modal tradition, Bashir's style is also highly ambient. Employing subtle but effective dynamic inflections and a gradual build up in the intensity of picking, his playing is known to demand quiet concentration on the part of the listeners.

He really slams Farid there, maybe too much. I think he had a pretty distinctive sound as an oud player.

A page of files of Farid songs. Check out "3enaya mahma aloo 3annak" (or at least the beginning) as an example. He performs a solo not very long into the song. Great rhythms in the song itself, too.

And one for Asmahan, his enchanting, mysterious, and ill-fated sister (who is another member of the Arabic music pantheon), just in case you are curious. The first song there is probably as good an entry point as any.

Farid & Friends making great music with different instruments.
The gambus is made of wood (hence the name oud). But unlike the guitar, it has 12 strings and no frets-ridges on the fingerboard.--http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2005/3/13/features/10351458&sec=features

http://www.mauriceouds.com/english/about.asp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahOVh1VVD3w&search=farid%20atrash

I don't hear enough oud recordings to make sweeping judgments, but I still think this is an instant classic.

It's a really long, extremely well-recorded CD, and it feels like a big space to explore. I wish I could listen to it on a good stereo, because part of the enjoyment is in all of the subtle timbral aspects of the performance, including sometimes seemingly incidental sounds. The recording is dominated by oud improvisation (sometimes completely solo, sometimes with spare percussion accompaniment), but also includes instrumental, oud and percussion, renderings of well-known (enough so that I recognized most of them) folkloric songs.

The live Iraqi Music in a Time of War was excellent, but on repeated listens I find that I want to skip past the introductory comments. Also, the compositions he plays tend to be dances played on the oud, never my favorite style of oud playing (though he does it exceptionally well). It's a remarkable historical document when one considers it was recorded in New York city as the US invasion of Iraq was beginning, but this new studio recording is more completely satisfying.

The first two discs of this box set, Al Tarab: Muscat Ud Festival, are exquisite. Unfortunately, the pieces for oud and orchestra together, which make up about half of the third disc and all of the fourth disc, aren't so exquisite.

Farid, with an overly rowdy audience, but this is some nice extended playing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NVl7SoXdF8&mode=related&search=

Not extended technique, you know, but an extend passage. And as I always say, he does tend to play the same thing over and over, but it's better than saying the same thing over and over (from solo to solo), and he does it so well it kind of doesn't matter.

Another satisfied audience.

Simon Shaheen/Ali Jihad Racy: Taqasim

wow, I have this! I like it. I also have a record by some Adel Salameh guy, called "Le Maitre d'Oud", so he must be very good.

At this stage I do not know enough about this style of music to be able to recognise good or bad playing of it.

he does tend to play the same thing over and over, but it's better than saying the same thing over and over (from solo to solo)

I have no idea what this meant.

Rahim AlHaj has a new CD out, and it sounds pretty fantastic, judging by these clips:

http://cdbaby.com/cd/rahimalhaj5

Sorry to sound all street team about it, but I am just trying to point it out, and as I haven't even heard the whole thing myself, what am I going to say? Still, based on these clips, I'm completely confident this is an excellent recording.

Extremists in Iraq literally destroying ouds

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/world/middleeast/01oud.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&th&emc=th

Erica Goode, NY Times article
excerpt:
BAGHDAD — Dhia Jabbar hides his oud in a sack when he walks down the street in his Baghdad neighborhood.

An oud maker in his workshop in central Baghdad. Residents rarely play the oud in public now for fear of angering militants critical of secular music.

Dhia Jabbar, in Baghdad, was threatened by militiamen who destroyed another oud.
He used to teach students in the back room of a photo shop, where the sound could not be heard. But last week, militia gunmen invaded the store, destroying one of his instruments and ordering him to stop teaching. He had dreamed of a performing career, but now he has lost hope.

“Iraq is dead,” he says.

That is such a fucked up story. Total bummer.

Riad el Sounbati solo oud recordings back in print (and I will get this as soon as reasonably possible--maybe before reasonably possible, because man cannot live by bread alone):

http://www.buyarabic.com/storeItem.asp?ic=MUAR002427

Also, new reissues (I assume they are reissues) of Ahmad El Hefnawi, Oum Kalthoum's brilliant primary violinist. I haven't confirmed yet whether these are solo recordings by him, or what, but if they are, that's another essential purchase.

Apparently the answer is yes. I don't think I've ever seen solo Ahmad El Hefnawi available on CD, not since I've known who he was anyway.

February 23

Oud Knights with Amina and Shayma: When Oud Speaks (female oud
players from Bahrain) for free from 6 to 7 (and webcast and archived)
at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage in Washington DC

Férid Latrache

Oh good, another spelling to keep track of.

Very very brief oud solo in this Mohammed Abdo song (around 4:30?), but this is the kind of oud playing that khaleeji music is full of:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlFy9-aNn3k

Sometimes it runs through entire songs, a more rhythmic, even percussive, oud sound.

So I think there must be a lot of great oudists in the Gulf states whose names I do not know.

Don't know who this is, but they sound great:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezQrTiXg7no

(I'm a bit baffled about country even, but I'm thinking North Africa or somewhere in the Gulf. Maybe Yemen.)

And the associated videos seem to be from Yemen, and here's another lightning-fast oudist from Yemen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yU3Yue-dr-8&feature=related

Very cool looking electric oud:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ai7f6zNzCfw

I should listen to him and to Rahim Alhaj tonight. Don't know oud music well but like various players I have heard over the years

The Muscat Oud Festival recordings are available on Spotify. Overall, this is an incredible collection. I don't have much to say at the moment since it's been a while since I've listened to it (more to do with my current audio set up than a lack of interest), but I talked it up when it first came out.

http://open.spotify.com/album/4U0TybPA9EZjWv0qm3hCn8

Here's what I posted earlier on this thread, which is how I remember this set:

The first two discs of this box set, Al Tarab: Muscat Ud Festival, are exquisite. Unfortunately, the pieces for oud and orchestra together, which make up about half of the third disc and all of the fourth disc, aren't so exquisite.

Here's sund4r on an Ahmed Fathi track from this compilation, one which famously placed in a low turnout ILM EOY track poll:

I love "La Tisafir" and it probably is my favourite single track of the year but I don't feel like I know enough about oud music that I'm totally comfortable commenting on it. What knocks me out is the oud-only section beginning around 1:35 which alternates rapid strumming of thick chords with melodic commentary, building in intensity. It reminds me of things I love in some South American classical guitar music as well as in some rock music. This is where I start to feel like a dope but the sonority he hits around 2:10 reminds me of early Sonic Youth and post-Branca no wave in a way, just with more going on in the rhythm and intricate melodies. And then he goes back to the memorable main vocal tune (I want to describe the delivery as 'soulful,' heaven help me, and I feel like a dope again) and gorgeous elaborate rippling melodic commentary.

(Why would it be good if the poll had so many more participants that a track like this would get forgotten?)

― sund4r, Tuesday, May 1, 2007 9:12 PM (6 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I just read that and it seems unsatisfyingly clinical. The track feels yearning, intense, and beautifully intricate.

― sund4r, Tuesday, May 1, 2007 9:14 PM (6 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

***Put Ya Hands Up for the 2006 ILX TRACKS POLL RESULTS***

The Simon Shaheen interview from 2003 is still available (on Web Archive) and still a fascinating read - http://web.archive.org/web/20030818015403/http://www.afropop.org/multi/interview/ID/39/Simon%20Shaheen%20on%20the%20oud

My first oudist was Waed Bouhassoun from Syria, from hearing her live concert for Radio France Musique from September 2015 - http://www.francemusique.fr/player/resource/106453-118451 - the concert starts @ 3:00 mins and is available online until Jun 2018

Not sure how Bouhassoun compares to anyone else, but it's a really hypnotic sound, just oud and voice. (More info on the program page.)

*Shaheen

A fair amount of oud in this great movie doc:

http://theconversation.com/on-the-banks-of-the-tigris-a-documentary-that-traces-the-forgotten-history-of-iraqi-music-47260

Mohamed el-Qasabgi (I assume):

https://youtu.be/E54u766R3fA?t=8m11s

Love that oud sound even though I don't know much about it.

Reposting without the link errors this time:

Simon Shaheen on the oud (2003) good interview
- http://web.archive.org/web/20101228042512/http://www.afropop.org/multi/interview/ID/39/Simon+Shaheen+on+t

Waed Bouhassoun – Heritage Days: Concert of Traditional Music / Tribute to Syrian Cultural Heritage
- https://www.francemusique.fr/emissions/programme-special/journees-du-patrimoine-concert-de-musiques-traditionnelles-hommage-au-patrimoine-culturel-syrien-12932

^ This French radio concert is still online (Music starts @ 3:00 mins in the show). From the blurb:
"Waed Bouhassoun (voice & oud), with her poetic, intense and personal presence while remaining closer to the spirit of her country's music, we will share this program that she titled 'The soul of the lute'."

And random clips

Simon Shaheen & Rima Khcheich
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9WHeKntZq4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-wS9e1KFhY

Bouhassoun was interviewed (with flutist Naïssam Jalal) about how Syrian musicians have coped with the destruction in their country:

- https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.franceculture.fr%2Femissions%2Flactualite-musicale%2Fsyrie-que-faire-quand-est-musicien / (Original in French)