The Art Of The Middle East

This is great to meditate to !

A great pick for anyone who enjoys more thoughtful and mysterious Mideastern melodies, as oppose to more festive and jolly. The music is performed with a variety of complex techniques and caresses with a very personal touch by the performer.

This CD is really titled "The Art of the Middle Eastern Oud" and is performed by Charbel Rouhana of Lebanon. The oud is the Arabic lute and is actually the etymological source of the word "lute" (al-oud.) It is that familiar somewhat hollow-sounding stringed instrument in much of Middle Eastern music. The fifth song on the album "Manara" or "Lighthouse" is my personal favorite, winding in out in unison with accordian playing melody alternating with the oud.The oud style here is Rouhana's contribution to the instrument; his method is widely used in teaching the instrument, and the tunes on the CD are his interpretation of traditional melodies. The music is seductive and tuneful. Rouhana is accompanied by tabla, vocals, accordian, riqq, qanan (the Arabic zither), strings and bass guitar. The backup instrumentalists harmonize with Rouhana to make a very excellent album of music that I highly recommend if you like Arabic and Middle Eastern music.

I bought this album as I knew little about oud music and, as this instrument is the foundation of most of the stringed instruments in the West from lutes and viols to banjos and guitars, I thought it would worth listening to the original instrument. The Middle-Eastern modern music on the oud is fascinating, evocative, and lyrical. I love this album and it will become a favourite in my collection. The sound is quite different from anything I have listened to before, reminding me of music played in Moroccan cafés but much better quality! I recommend anyone interested in, but unfamiliar with, Middle Eastern music, to try this album. It is a super introduction to the instrument and Middle Eastern music in general.

good intro