By George Grella | Published January 2018
The clichéd Western word for music from the non-European East is “perfumed,” meant to conjure exoticism. Oudist Anouar Brahem’s new album is certainly scented, but with the qualities of soil, landscape and humanity.
The characteristics of Brahem’s native Tunisia are apparent in the ostinato rhythms, cyclical scales and horizontal organization. Underneath is a power that comes from the subtle individualism of the music. This is not a fusion, but a holistic synthesis of traditional North African musics, jazz and improvisation.
Tracks like “Bahia,” “Bom Dia Rio” and “The Recovered Road To Al-Sham” effortlessly reach into the body, modern dance music with the dense fiber of ancient roots. Brahem’s improvising is relaxed, with each note full of purpose.
Credit the rhythm section for seamlessly following the 60-year-old leader. Everyone handles the pattern-based forms with an easy flow. No surprise with bassist Dave Holland, who has a monumental sound, and Jack DeJohnette’s trademark ticking cymbal sound is there, but in all other ways the drummer is so deeply submerged in the aesthetic that he sounds like an entirely different musician.
Pianist Django Bates at times lets go of the imagination in the music and returns to jazz. That concept is the flaw in the title track, where Brahem doesn’t delve into Western equal temperament and vertical harmonies.
That hardly mars the overall experience. This is a long album that’s constantly absorbing and affecting.
Blue Maqams: Opening Day; La Nuit; Blue Maqams; Bahia; La Passante; Bom Dia Rio; Persepolis’s Mirage; The Recovered Road To Al-Sham; Unexpected Outcome. (77:00)
Personnel: Anouar Brahem, oud; Django Bates, piano; Dave Holland, bass; Jack DeJohnette, drums.
