Morton's Foot

Rabih Abou-Khalil

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 13, 2004)
• Original Release Date: April 13, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Enja Justin Time
• ASIN: B0001LYH7K
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #324,794 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Ma Muse M'Abuse

2. Morton's Foot

3. Ritorno del Languore

4. Lobotomie Mi Baba Lu

5. Histoire d'un Parapluie

6. O Papaia Balerina

7. Dr. Gieler's Wiener Schnitzel

8. Sospiro

9. Hopping Jack

10. Waltz for Dubbya

11. Return of the Maltese Chicken

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

For more than a decade, Lebanese oud master Rabih Abou-Khalil has infused traditional Arabic music of all stripes with elements of modern music from around the world, most notably jazz. Morton’s Foot, Abou-Khalil's 13th album, doesn't flavor its Arabic melodies and rhythms with electronic programming. Instead, Abou-Khalil's fusion is done much in the same way that jazz musicians have embraced Klezmer or Indian music: it uses top-flight musicianship instead of beats and sounds to build the bridges. Here, the leader plays lengthy leads on oud that concentrate on rhythm just as much as melody as a five-piece support cast (drums, accordion, vocals, tuba, clarinet) follows his every twist and turn. Sometimes one leaps ahead to solo on their own, with clarinetist Gabriele Mirabassi and tuba player Michel Godard both doing yeoman's work. A uniformly strong effort by a truly unique innovator, Morton's Foot is ideal listening for fans who put free-ranging musicianship and innovation at a premium. – Tad Hendrickson

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars good stuff, October 2, 2004

By	Grant M. Wilcox (Castro Valley, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is my first CD by Rabih Abou-khalil and I found it to be very good. It is a mix of middle-eastern, klezmer, jazz, and it also rocks. The tuba player holds down the bass line like a good jazz bassest. The vocals are very baratone and are used more as an instrument. This is a beautifully conceived album. I'm sure going to try some of his other stuff.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Rabit effort, but a little bit too much, July 6, 2007

By	Scott Williams "sneakyneighborsdog" (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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There are a lot of exciting moments on this CD. At times all of the contributors on this album (and there are many) add interesting texture and mood. The vocalist is probably the highlight of the album. He is very odd but somehow very effective and interesting. The harpsicord adds excellent texture as well. The problem is that there are too many musicians, and that results in people sitting out of songs, and rabih doesn't play as much on this album as he does on other albumns. It was a great idea but there was not enough room to pull it off.