Anouar Brahem - Astrakan Cafe
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CD Details
Artist: Anouar BrahemEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2001-02-27
Music Label: Ecm Records
Soundtracks:
- Aube Rouge A Grozny
- Astrakan Cafe (1)
- The Mozdok's Train
- Blue Jewels
- Nihawend Lunga
- Ashkabad
- Halfaouine
- Parfum De Gitane
- Khotan
- Karakoum
- Astara
- Dar Es Salam
- Hijaz Pechref
- Astrakan Cafe (2)
Music reviews of Astrakan Cafe
Music Review: A strong jazz effort with references to around the Mediterranean
Rating: 4 Stars
The Tunisian oud player Anour Brahem distinguished himself as a powerful force on the ECM label in the 1990s, showing especially magical results on the 1998 release THIMAR where he was joined by Dave Holland and John Surman. On the follow-up album, 2000's ASTRAKAN CAFE, he again explores a trio approach, this time with Barbaros Erkose on clarinet and Lassad Hosni on percussion. Brahem has been acquainted with these two musicians for a long time, first recording with Hosni nearly 30 years ago, and previously collaborating with Erkose on the 1992 ECM album "Conte de l'incroyable Amour". Their rapport is cool and confident, and they work towards intensity in the music more through their total force of collaboration than the showy performance of any individual musician.
The disc opens with "Aube rouge a Grozny", where Erkose's soft clarinet floats for a full minute before Hosni enters on a simple drum line. Brahem makes his appearance with the second track, "Astrakan cafe", where his solo oud playing is accompanied only by some gentle murmurming. The full trio then perform for the first time on "The Mozdok's Train" and continue with "Blue Jewels", "Nihawend Lunga", "Ashkabad" and "Halfaouine". "Parfum de gitane", positioned halfway through the album, marks the trio's finest hour. A complex track, it ranges through moods ranging from contemplativeness to passion. The second half of the album features the Brahem solo performance "Khotan", the duet between Brahem and Hosni "Dar es Salam", and a thrilling ending where the trio as a whole reprise "Astrakan cafe".
Somewhat unusually for ECM, the liner notes contain a commentary on the album, written by Paolo Scarnecchia.
I think this disc will appeal to a very wide audience. Fans of European jazz will of course love it, but it will please those looking for ambient stylings as well. Indeed, for people who want chillout music but are wasting their time with dross like Thievery Corporation, this is a likely to satisfy but offer a much richer experience. If I award it less than five stars, it is only because Erkose's clarinet can sometimes be too smooth, the same complaint I had about Surman's saxophone on THIMAR. Would that Brahem work with a performer with a slightly more aggressive style. Nonetheless, this album is recommended.
Description of Astrakan Cafe
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