Rewend
Arista/Sony
A Turkish/Kurdish album, Rewend (Nomad), wanders off into places of musical exhuberance. As a female singer, Aynur performs a scintillating set of songs with all the lively percussion of Turkish/Kurdish folk groups. The title track, "Rewend", borders on the sounds of Scandinavian folk, or the Finnish group Varttina. The beautiful peacefulness of the harp with Aynur's voice is showcased on "Xewn". The Central Asian-North African-tinged "Kocere" is another reason why Aynur's music is nomadic, by consciously or unconsciously incorporating the rhythms of the Orient with Andalusia. The larger musical theme encompasses the similar sounds of modern traditional styles from emanating out of the Caucasus (especially Azerbaijan), Persia, Mediterranean, and the Middle East. The songs are not particularly modernized, because of the ney flute, udu, kemanche fiddle, zirna, daf, tembur, harp, and tabla. Still, Rewend is an epic recording for those interested in Kurdish folk music, Central Asian, and North African music. The songs and titles are translated into English throughout the liner notes. ~ Matthew Forss
