CD Review: Yeznig Zegchanian/Jason Hamacher's 'Forty Martyrs: Armenian Chants From Aleppo'

Yeznig Zegchanian/Jason Hamacher
Forty Martyrs: Armenian Chants From Aleppo
Lost Origins

Recorded in Forty Martyrs Armenian Orthodox Church in Aleppo, Syria, by Jason Hamacher, a drummer and noted fan of music from far-off places. The recording contains the solo chants of Rev. Yeznig Zegchanian without any instrumentation or additional vocals. The sub-twenty-minute recording is rather short, but it is vocally strong. The religious chants are sung in West Armenian. The remarkable aspect of the music does not pertain to the music at all; rather, the manner in which it was recorded. For example, the music was recorded in one take. The quality is strong and very resonant with the church as a backdrop. At any rate, fans of Syrian and Christian chants will love it for it's beauty and rarity, as West Armenian is rarely covered in recorded music today. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Nawa's 'Ancient Sufi Invocations & Forgotten Songs From Aleppo'

Nawa
Ancient Sufi Invocations & Forgotten Songs From Aleppo
Lost Origins/Electric Cowbell

The first volume in a series to examine ancient Sufi, Christian chant, and secretive orders, Ancient Sufi Invocations & Forgotten Songs From Aleppo traces obscure and previously unreleased vocal music through various forms, including dhikr, maqam, and mowashah. The entire album is vocally-produced and it was recorded in a 500-year-old house in Aleppo, Syria. The musical recording was created by Jason Hamacher. However, the unlikely path of a punk drummer and photographer to capture the ancient Sufi singing styles of Syria was a wild proposition that eventually came to fruition. The six long tracks are only about a half-hour in total running length. Still, the music lingers on in a repetitive manner that reaches far beyond the thirty-minute mark. The songs are evenly-divided between ancestral dhikrs and maqams. Anyone interested in Sufi music, Syrian music, and chanting traditions from around the world will relish the historical delicacies inherent in Nawa's first release. ~ Matthew Forss