RABIH ABOU-KHALIL

Lots of brass in this record, and it comes through beautifully in many cases, such as the wonderful sax solo in 'Got to go Home'. But all of this does come at a price, and that price is that, at times, it all feels like it's too much. Lost is the relaxed and ambient atmosphere that I have grown to love from previous releases.

Despite this however, we have an interesting, technical, and, at times, brilliant record. It showcases wonderfully just how far Rabih Abou-Khalil has come as a notable jazz musician. This is sure to please any fan and may be the closest fit to the Jazz Rock label that we have for Rabih.

This isn't my favorite album, but it's still a damn good one. (4/5)

I don't know what else can be said about this album, the emotion and atmosphere is wonderful and that is certainly always a plus, but there is very little in the way of melody on this cd. This is unfortunate because the sound is great, but it works better as background music for this one.

I can't help but watching the clock when I listen to this cd, it isn't bad, but compared to a lot of work from Rabih Abou-Khalil it feels bland and uninteresting.

Not the best place to start if you want to get into Rabih Abou-Khalil, try 'Blue Camel' or 'Arabian Waltz' for a better sense of what this musician can achieve.

On the whole, the album is decent and for the most part enjoyable. (3.25/5)

Here we see Rabih Abou-Khalil playing what he plays best, jazz/ middle eastern folk fusion. He does it well and if this is what people like to coin as 'World Music' then perhaps I can finally get behind it.

The album isn't without its faults and the major one is that it sounds too much like 'Blue Camel' so, whenever I am faced with which album to listen to, I always listen to 'Blue Camel' instead.

Nothing is bad here, the musicianship, production quality and individual songs are great. It feels like a complete album and you are certainly left satisfied at the end of it, but, unfortunately there is very little to draw the listener back in.

A very good album, despite the fact that it has very little replayable value. (4/5)

You really get an interesting mix of instruments on this album, including a tuba and Rabih Abou-Khalil's custom made Oud. Most of the time it works very well and the album feels very complete. The music is a tad bit more experimental when compared to most of Rabih's work but the music still has such a gorgeous tone to it.

I am reminded of the Flecktones on many occasions when listening to this record (perhaps because of Levy), this certainly gives a nice flair to the music, a style that we wouldn't expect from Rabih Abou-Khalil. In this style and experiment however, it feels as though some of the cohesion on the album has been lost.

None of the tracks falter but I have to bump it down to four stars simply because there doesn't seem to be any focus (as opposed to previous albums) and by the time you get to the end of the album it feels more like a collection of nice songs than a cohesive album.

Still well worth a listen. (4.25/5)

It was the cover of Duke Ellington's 'Caravan' that drew me to this album (as well as Rabih Abou-Khalil as a whole) and, I must say, he does the song amazing justice, turning it into a light, wonderful duet between violin and nay.

The albums composition isn't as strong as some later albums would be, but all of the essentials are here, fine playing, wonderful melodies and a great deal of ambition.

I think I have a soft-spot for this album as it marks a distinctive change into something much more relaxed, and helped to influence later masterpiece 'Blue Camel'.

(4/5)

A splendid mix of jazz and middle-eastern folk music, there is little to no rock here but is still Fusion nonetheless. What I love about this album isn't the compositions, the technicality or any of the things that normally turn me into a squealing prog fan-boy, but in fact the mood itself.

Blue Camel feels both relaxed but also tensed, as though it's on the verge of something. On top of that, this album, more than any other IMHO, shows just how well jazz and folk music can mix together and be compositionally complementary to one another. In my opinion, this is the pinnacle of what 'world music / jazz' ought to strive to be. That's not to say that the music is simple, as many jazz / world combinations often are, the arrangements are still complex and quite interesting.

What surprised me the most about Rabih Abou-Khalil is the surprising production quality in his music.

A real treat, a delightful listen. Highly recommended.

(4.5/5)

Edit: Still very nice, but not a masterpiece, still highly recommended.

Although he most likely conjured up a completely different concept in his mind at the time of recording his fifth album, oud virtuoso Rabih Abou-Khalil manages to beautifully evoke the colours, smells and sounds of the oriental market, taking listeners on a promenade that will surely galvanise all their sensations..

Throughout his career, Rabih, with an innate sense of assembly, has surrounded himself with excellent instrumentalists who could embody his complex musical vision, and Roots and Sprouts was not going to be an exception. Fact of the matter is, Rabih's oud is not the driving force behind this record, as one might expect. There are very few instances where it actually takes the lead displayed with delightful craftsmanship, like in the solo from Remembering Machgara. Instead, it works as an auxiliary instrument for the two main noticeable gears of the album: nay and Arabic violin, stunningly played by Selim Kusur and Yassin El-Achek, respectively. The background rhythm section, which serves as sort of a vertebral column for the album, sees Glen Moore on bass, Glen Velez - frame drums and Mohammad Al-Sous on darabukka. Thus, with a solid foundation ? the ever so lively and alert oriental rhythm from start to finish, Roots and Sprouts' structure is built of soundscapes alternating from catchy dynamic tracks (or passages within the tracks) to mellow and sometimes wailful tunes, but uncharacteristic to Rabih Abou-Khalil, with insignificant jazz bits. An exception in this case is constituted by Duke Ellington's Caravan, beautifully covered with the now familiar alert percussion, along with the nay and lamenting violin painting the caravan's weary trail. At the other end of the spectrum, there are tracks with extremely catchy main themes suitable for raqs sharqi, like Remembering Machgara or Outlook; their only drawback, which is actually present throughout the album, is the middle section which leans more on musicianship than on music and composition, thus conveying that exotic walk quite a few lengthy moments of bluntness. However, this does not take away from the record's green and fresh vibe, as its title seems to suggest as well, which appears very different form other Rabih works, like Blue Camel or Yara that are more oriented towards pure Arabic jazz.

All in all, while not being the best embodiment of progressive folk, Roots and Sprouts is no stranger to the progressive sphere; therefore, with its construction revolving around Arabic folklore and the overall experience it provides the listeners with, it makes it worthy of 3.5 stars. (really? yup!)

Sometimes hailed by RA-K fans as his definitive statement, The Cactus of Knowledge is one of Rabih's livelier albums in his vast discography. Whether the title is a joke or not, we can see the main (and more numerous than usual) musicians taking turn sitting in a sofa next to a horrible toy cactus in a studio hall.

The album develops a Klezmer-Gypsy Jazz feel, a consequence of an 8-man brass section, not just in the opening two tracks, goes even further in the Got To Go Home piece. The opening Lewinsky March has some wild brass exchanges between the lead horns and the rest of the section. The Gypsy/Klezmer ambiances are generally very upbeat and happy, sometimes fairly complex, and approach Miriodor or Alamaailman Vasarat's works, but it doesn't develop their energy, partly because the latter two don't hesitate to go electric when needed. Probably the album's apex is Oum Said (probably a reference to the legendary Egyptian singer Oum Kalsoum) but I also find Malyese Chicken farm to my liking.

While this joyous Klezmer-circus-like music is rather dominant, it doesn't stop the other more Eastern "ethnic" music influences to permeate the album's soundscapes, most notably on Fraises & Crème Fraiche. Also worthy of notice is Ma Muse M'Amuse (my muse amuses me), where Courtois' cello is really on the forefront.

Cactus is a typical RA-K album, maybe a tad more than others due to the vast amount of wind instruments that have invaded his musical imagination. One of his better works, but not my favourite, despite some wild moments; but it should please most newcomers and confirmed fans.

Among RA-K's abundant discography, there are some (many?) albums that sound relatively similar (rather inevitable) but Journey To The Centre Of The Egg is one of those that stands out a bit from the "norm". You can already tell with/by the more discreet white artwork gracing its sleeve, and that only three musicians (including Rabih) intervening, with just one guest drummer on two successive tracks.

Still very much acoustic and instrumental, the general feel remains ethnic-jazz, mainly due to Rabih's oud and the scales used in the compositions. Note that this trio does not feature bass, but this is precisely why this yolk tastes different from the rest of the Egg's centre. Kühn 's piano is certainly very much and asset, and when he's not fondling the keys, he's sometime blowing into an alto sax, which fits the album's ambiance without being either disruptive or repetitive. Cagwin's drum sound is part of the excellent production job of the now- habitual Walter Quintus, and it adds much depth to the soundscapes of the album. The album's apex is the eccentric Mango, but it ends rather abruptly. For the rest, the "ethnic" flavour in this Egg is probably tandoori, because there are a few Indian raga moments, most notably in the longer pieces. As with many of RA-K's album, there is a dissonant piece and inn the cazse, it's not served in Plastic Cups.

While the album is still a typical RA-K work, Journey does stand out a bit, but one can still think of ECM-label jazz products even if the Oregon comparisons are a little harder to bridge. So if you're looking to have more than one of his album, but want to avoid the unpleasant feeling that you've bought the same one twice, this is an excellent second choice.

In the RA-K albums I've heard so far (some 7 or 8), Tarab is probably the most "world" music in the sense that it's the most "ethnic", even we can't talk of a specific ethnic or continent with the Lebanese genius. It's actually no surprise since this album dates from 93 and is one of his earlier works, and one of the first to bear that luxurious Arabic arts wafer cardboard digipak.

In the accompanying band we can getv acquainted with contrabassist Glenn Moore and percussionist Nabil Khaiat, both of whom will become usual suspects in RA-K's discography. Tarab has a very much Arabic or Mid-Eastern sound, but some passages are strongly influenced by classical Indian music, especially when percussionist Ramesh Shotham plays tabla drums and engage in some raga. Unlike many of its successor, Tarab does not have much jazz influences, and remains acoustic and almost totally instrumental. The different pieces can range from festive and happy to reflective or even a tad melancholic, often coloured by Selim Kusur's flutes, of which the bamboo flute, but not only. If in general with later albums, the obvious Oregon or ECM label comparisons are unavoidable, it's not really valid with Tarab, although it could fit on the German jazz label without sticking out much.