The Art Of The Middle Eastern Oud

This CD is a must buy for anyone who loves Middle Eastern Music, or wishes to learn about it, savour it and enjoy it.The artists featuring on this CD are not only masters of their instruments, but also they are the teachers of their respective instruments at the Lebanese conservatoire. Some of them have even re-written the syllabus of the instrument for the conservatoire.Charbel is an innovator who doesn't forget his roots. This is very obvious in the wonderful variation on Samai Arian on the "Forward" track.He is always at his best on one hand as a player showing great virtuosity on the Oud instrument all over the CD, and on the other hand as a song composer mainly on the "Li Anni Oughanni" track where he helps the beautiful voice of Rima Kshaish to sound the way it should sounds, mellow, and full of tarab (extase). Also the dialogue between the singer and the choir on the "Ya Ghosna Naqa" track shows that Muashshahat aren't just a thing from the past, but they also have so much room for innovation.In short this is the work of a true artist, one of very few, who swim against the tide of the cheap commercialism that unfortunately is stereotyping the Arabic music nowadays.

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

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.