CD Review: Sakina's 'Roye Mi'

Sakina
Roye Mi
ARC Music

A native of Kurdish Turkey, Sakina is an Austrian and German-based singer and composer that represents the folk and traditional music of Kurdistan - a region that includes Turkey, Iraq, Syria, and Iran. The ten-track release is rich with jazzy, upbeat, and sometimes mournful melodies and rhythms that are reminiscent of mugam music indigenous to the Middle East. Sakina employs various instruments to the mix to create a rich sound and highly-textured musical outcome. Some of the instruments you will hear include the German flute, guitar, violin, cello, bass, drums, oboe, piano, bilur, kemane, duduk, qanun, tembur, zurne, davul, and arbane. The music drifts into various regions across the Middle East and Central Asia with ease. The beautiful instruments, heartfelt vocals, and excellent musical delivery makes Roye Mi a winner all-around. It is the quintessential work of Sakina's being. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Salaam's 'Train To Basra...And Other Stories'

Salaam
Train To Basra...And Other Stories
Self-Release

With ties to American blues and Iraqi folk music, you know this is going to be a good one. Salaam is spearheaded by musician, lyricist, violinist, viola player, oud player, joza player, Dena El Saffar. She is backed by a splendid array of musicians, including Tim Moore on dumbek, tupan, and riqq; Amir El Saffar on trumpet; Lety El Naggar on ney and sax; Stephen Harms on bass; Sam Finley on guitars; Svetla Vladeva on accordion; and a few others. The result is a richly-textured work that includes Central Asian, Middle Eastern, and North African roots. There are even liner notes describing the song background. Vocals are not present on this album, but the instrumental arrangements intermingle and literally speak volumes. Twelve moving tracks round out the album. Fans of Iraqi music, instrumental Arabic music, Middle Eastern music, and percussion music will find it deeply satisfying. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Rahim Alhaj's 2-CD Set

Rahim Alhaj

Little Earth

UR Music

New Mexico-based, Iraqi-American Rahim Alhaj, is a composer, oud player, and pigeon farmer. The musical spirit of the Middle East is brought to life with help from various artists, including Bill Frisell, Peter Buck, Robert Mirabal, Glen Velez, Maria de Barros, Liu Fang, Stephen Kent, Yacouba Sissoko, Hossein Omoumi, and others. The Grammy-nominated Rahim provides written compositions with little in the way of improvisation. Disc one only contains one vocal track, which is sung in Portuguese by Cape Verde's Maria de Barros. The remainder of the disc contains instrumental works with classical Arabic percussion, along with kora, sitar and guitar. The varied instrumentation and diversity of the musicians signifies a unification of musical development and performance across cultures. Disc two continues the musical diversity with didjeridoo, pipa, Native American flute, and Iranian ney flute. Rahim's collaboration with Southwest musicians and others from aroudn the world clearly illustrate the world of music. In effect, Little Earth is symbolic for the close interconnectedness of human society. Liner notes include artist biographies and song information in English. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Love From Baghdad

Various Artists
Give Me Love: Songs of the Brokenhearted - Baghdad, 1925-1929
Honest Jon's Records

For anyone interested in high-quality historical recordings, Give Me Love... is a true gem for such connoisseurs. This compilation features music from the Iraq region and it is completely void of contemporary electronic beats and arrangements. However, the music was first recorded in the 1920's for 78 rpms. The sound clarity is superb throughout the CD. This is Arabic folk music that features characteristic, male and female vocals and the violin, zurna, lute, and various percussion. Some of the music is from Kuwait and Bahrain. 20 musicians are featured. The music of a classic era in Kurdish history is not to be missed. It is a real treat to discover early, recorded music. Do yourself a favor and enjoy the flavorful tastes and sounds of the Middle East with Give Me Love: Songs of the Brokenhearted... ~ Matthew Forss