Customer Reviews

Astrakan Cafe

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I just saw them play this set in Munich. The interaction of the oud, the clarinet and the drums is wonderful. The rhythms seem to pull at each other and then one instrumental voice rises to lead the others before floating back into tight harmony with the others. The album was recorded in a cathedral in Austria and captures some of the feeling of the live concert. It is emotional, haunting. It manages to be both jazzy and middle eastern at the same time without sacrificing anything for either identity. This is music to play on a late night, on a snowy day, or in a smoky cafe.

I own around 1200 CDs, and I consider myself an expert in international music. This one CD stands out among a very few in my collection. I am going to try to describe it, but I won't be able to do justice; I can't find the right words. This fully instrumental CD (no singing) takes you to a magical land and recreates centuries of middle eastern imagery in the mind of the listener. This is not a CD like "Simon Shaheen"'s modernistic approach to Middle Eastern music. This is "traditional Middle East" with perfect harmony and perfect performance. I have played this CD hundreds of times since I purchased it. And I still love it like the very first time.

This still certainly rates as jazz, but just as much it gives the impression of a visit to... --well, uh, a cafe in Astrakan. Especially atmospheric is the clarinet play of sideman Barbaros Erkose, which produces just the right emphasis of exotica to complement Brahem's virtuostic oud play (is there a greater student of this instrument now recording?) and the unobtrusive backing percussion (bendir and darbouka). This is a tuneful but rather laid back kind of jazz, occasionally giving itself over to flashes of brilliant play. It sounds more than just a bit mysterious, but it is a naked mystery. Stripped of the kind of mood cliches one often hears in the soundtracks to bad films about Arabic lands, this music reveals some of the emotional secrecies that can be found at the heart of the cultures it strives to portray.

Tunisian oud master Anuoar Brahem's newest offering is his best yet! Accompanied only by clarinet and percussion, Brahem's instrumental and compositional abilities shine on this outing. The recording is crystalline, done in an Austrian monastery -- every nuance of these performers is captured for the listener, transporting us to an exotic variety of locales. It's only March, and I've already placed this on my 'ten best of 2001' list -- one of the most exceptional recordings in my collection.

I was searching for contemporary Arab music when I ran across this gem. Inspired by the music of the 'stans of Central Asia, this disc pairs Anouar Brahem's astounding oud playing with a clarinet and Moroccan drums (bendir and darbouka). The resulting fusion succeeds surprisingly well, comparable to the achievements in a different genre of Radio Tarife. Some of the tracks have a jazz quality reminiscent, at moments, of Benny Goodman. The highlight however is the unique title piece, which appears on two different tracks.

On the down side, I still find the first piece (by the clarinetist Barbaros Erkose) disappointing, even after repeated listening. Moreover, the clarinet is over modulated in a few spots. With these exceptions, the music and the sound quality are both superb. This disc will reward the listener with a wealth of detail when played on a good audio system.

This is my first encounter with the music of Anouar Brahem. I enjoy taking a chance on any music which seems promising and am indeed glad to have taken a chance on this as Brahem's trio makes some of the most interesting music I have heard in years.
Despite my diversified musical tastes, I have difficulty comparing Brahem's music with anyone who is perhaps more widely known. The closest I can think of would be the Al Dimeola of the late 80s and early 90s.
At any rate, this CD is perfect for either background music in the office or for just kicking back to. I was mesmerized the first time through. I highly recommend owning this, Astrakan Cafe is atmospheric bliss to the extreme!

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.

Actually I have never known anything about musican, 'Anouar Brahem' by named. before encountering this stuff. The motive that let me interest in "Astrachan Cafe" is the album's photograph. --- you can see that photograph on first intro page by connecting ECM homepage.

Anyway this album's title song "Astrakan Cafe" is that let me hear of very exotic beauty. This instrumental music is a beautiful and stunning instrumental music such as Gismonti's cafe in album "Sol Do Meio Dia". Surely all tracks carries you musical satisfaction and impressions.

This album has a grittier, more progressive sound than Le pas du chat noir, but I have found that the euro influence adds a pleasing edge to the mystic quality of the jazz. I an a huge fan of all his music, and this CD is one of my favorites. The sound is alluring and irresistable.

3 1/2


Walking a line between authenticity and cross-cultured accessibility well, Brahem rides to maximum transportive effect with some well-intentioned pandering.