CD Review: Zedashe's 'Our Earth And Water'

Zedashe
Our Earth And Water
Living Roots Music

Georgia (the country) is well-known for it's polyphonic vocal traditions. Zedashe continues the country's past with lively vocal tunes with some containing instruments. The twenty-six tunes represent a wide-breadth of music with accompanying panduri, chonguri, doli, diplipito, chiboni, garmoni, lute, bagpipe, clay drum, hand drum, and accordion. There are both male and vocal singers. The back of the CD case contains the track list with a few words about each song's origin, translation, and owner's rights. There are no in-depth liner notes and the song titles are in both Cyrillic and Roman Georgian. Some of the light instrumental accompaniment is indicative of other Central Asian and Caucasus music. Still, anyone interested in folk music from the region will love the instrumental accompaniment, as well the intriguing and somewhat meditative vocal style. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Alim Qasimov And Fargana Qasimova's 'Intimate Dialogue'

Alim Qasimov and Fargana Qasimova
Intimate Dialogue
Dreyer Gaido

Azerbaijani father and daughter, Alim Qasimov and Fargana Qasimova, respectively, showcase their instrumental and vocal talents on Intimate Dialogue. There are only four songs in all, but the album runs nearly one-and-a-half hours long. The first song, "Mugham Shushtar," features Fargana's melismatic vocals with Ra'uf Islamov on kamanche, Ali Asgar Mammadov on tar, and Alim Qasimov on daf. "Mahur" features Alim Qasimov on vocals and abovementioned instrumentalists. "Mugham Bayati Shiraz" and "Eraq Tesnifi" contains both Alim's and Fargana's vocals, along with a stirring mix of instrumental arrangements that are very up-tempo in spots. The entire album was recorded live at Morgenland Festival Osnabruck in August 2009. The final round of applause at the end of the album sums it up quite nicely. ~ Matthew Forss 

CD Review: Nazaket Teymurova's 'Mugham'

Nazaket Teymurova
Mugham
Felmay

The traditional music of Azerbaijan has been a popular Caucasus mainstay throughout Central Asia and around the world. Mugham is form of classical poetry and improvisational musical arrangements following an Iranian-Arabic-Turkish melody continuum, or maqam. In this case, Nazaket brings us four long compositions in the mugham style: (1) Dastgah Kharidj Segah, (2) Mugham Bayati Shira, (3) Tasnif and Chahargah, and (4) Ashiqam and Mugham Hijaz. The music is traditional overall and features the great vocal style of Nazaket Teymurova, but she is accompanied by various musicians on tar, kamancha, balaban, naqara, drone naqara, qosha naqara, kanun, and oud. The first song is the longest at nearly thirty-eight-minutes. Fans of Arabic maqam, mugham, Central Asian music, and Azeri music will definitely love Nazaket's album. Liner notes are in English, French, and Azeri. ~ Matthew Forss  

CD Review: Zedashe's 'Intangible Pearls'

Zedashe
Intangible Pearls
Multiflora/Electric Cowbell Records

The polyphonic singing traditions of the Caucasus, especially from Georgia, stem from centuries of religious devotional chants and folklore. The amazing vocal chants are steeped in rich traditions and local cultures. The vocals are accompanied by chonguri, panduri, doli drum, garmoni, and chiboni. As a mostly vocal album, Intangible Pearls touches on the beauty of the human voice amidst different melodies, harmonies, and textures. Founded in the 1990's, Zedashe largely was created to transmit vocal songs originally lost during the Communist era. The group's name comes from special earthenware jugs made for wine. The entire album consists of twenty-five different songs spanning many generations, centuries, and social origins. Anyone interested in vocal polyphony and Caucasus music will want Zedashe to be a part of any collection. Discover it today! ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Gor Mkhitarian's 'United Fantasies: Exit Ahead'

Gor Mkhitarian
United Fantasies: Exit Ahead
GorMusic

Armenian rock and pop music is not as popular as other forms of European music around the world, but Gor Mhitarian and his band are going to change that. The guitar, piano, drums, and percussion-based band has drawn comparison to David Gray and the Dave Matthews Band. With a voice like David Gray, Gor Mkhitarian remains uniquely Armenian, but in a rock and pop sort of light. The catchy melodies and fun lyrics are definitely worth a listen to anyone interested in contemporary music from the Caucasus. The music reflects a bit of Russian folk/rock, too. At any rate, Gor Mkhitarian is a fabulous singer and guitarist with an innate ability to create moving and desirable songs that will live on for years. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: 35th Parallel's 'Crossing Painted Islands'

35th Parallel
Crossing Painted Islands
Independent Release

The 2006 release, Crossing Painted Islands, continues the tradition of exploring the world's music. Gabe Hallberg plays the tabla, tar, kou xiang, and percussion. Mac Ritchey plays the oud, bouzouki, acoustic guitar, didjeridoo, and lends his vocals for overtone singing, which is a style commonly heard in Tuva and Mongolia. However, a majority of the tracks are of Turkish origin with one from Armenia. Even so, the music on Crossing Painted Islands is slightly different from their prior release, The Green Vine, which was also reviewed here. Instead, their latest release seems to mainly draw upon the music of the Caucasus, the Balkans, and the Middle East. Still, Crossing Painted Islands is rich with musical creativity and relaxing rhythms well worth a listen. If you are looking for a great world fusion album, then this is for you. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Azerbaijan's Sevda Alekperzadeh

Sevda Alekperzadeh
Sevdali Dunya (Worlds of Love)
Network

The jazzy and sultry voice of Azerbaijan's 32-year-old Sevda Alekperzadeh brings us a lovely set of vocal and instrumental tunes from the Caucasus. Sevda sings in Azeri. The songs include instruments such as the piano, double bass, cello, kamanche, nagara, ud, drums, duduk, tar, saz, brass, zurna, and others. The majority of songs are composed with a jazzy-Mugham influenced musical background. Though, 'Ay Giz' is one exception that sounds like a pop standard from the 1940's. The incomparable Malik Mansurov lends his instrumental skills on the iconic tar instrument for a few tracks. Anyone familiar with classical, Turko-Asiatic music will find Sevdali Dunya tantalizing for the ears. The liner notes include song titles and lyrics in French, English, and German. It only takes a few listens before you understand why the world should love Sevda Alekperzadeh. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Angelic Voice of Armenia

Isabel Bayrakdarian
Gomidas Songs
Nonesuch

Armenia's operatic diva, Isabel Bayrakdarian, performs the traditional songs from Armenia's most celebrated figure in chants and songs, Gomidas Vartabed. Isabel presents us with examples from his large volume of work crossing many genres, lullabies, and hymns. Detailed liner notes of Gomidas' musical work are included, as well as Armenian-English translations of song lyrics. Moreover, the songs are divided into categories for 'Children', 'Nature', 'Love', 'Humor', and 'Yearning'. Isabel's vocals are accompanied by duduk, violin, clarinet, doubles bass, and piano on a few songs. The ambiance of the recording echoes a historical tone of contemplation and forlornness. In other words, the music is powerfully emotional and epic. Isabel does not waver and remains vocally strong and precise throughout. A glorious recording not to be missed. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Voices of Georgia

Iveroni
Heroic and Love Songs of Georgia
Beauty Saloon Music

Most listeners familiar with the music of Georgia readily recognize the characteristic polyphonic singing ensembles of the region. Positioned near the Caspian Sea, Georgia is a country of musical influences from neighboring Armenia and Azerbaijan. Though, Georgia's musical position in the region may not be as popular with Westerners. Thankfully, Nathaniel Berndt of Beauty Saloon Music, brings to life the music of Iveroni. Typical vocal ensembles from this region do not include instrumentation. However, Iveroni is the exception. On a few tracks, they incorporate a handful of string (lute-like) instruments, including the bass panduri, panduri, salamuri, and changuri. Iveroni's melodic and powerful vocal performances are haunting and mesmerizing. Perfect for world music fans of vocal music and chant. More information can be found at Beauty Saloon Music. ~ Matthew Forss