Steve Shehan & Baly Othmani - Assarouf (1997)

Here are some Amazon customers reviews (click here for more):

«This is an amazing album. The Amazigh artist Othmani has created a once in a lifetime expression of the desert. As an Amazigh myself, I must commend Othmani on an impeccable and smooth collection. Highly recommended for anyone who wishes to get lost in the rhythms and melodies of the Algerian Sahara.»

«Baly Othmani makes some of the most entrancing, enchanting and beautiful music. He is Algerian Tuareg è[…] playing the oud, which is related to the guitar. I first heard 2 songs by him on the Desert Blues: Ambiances du Sahara album. Both are totally addictive. I highly recommend this artist and all of his albums.»

«This is one of my “desert island” CDs. I could easily echo my esteemed fellow reviewers in describing this music's Tuareg roots. But all I will say is that this music is pure beauty. Pure peace. A journey through an earthly paradise. An experience of unutterable joy. One of humanity’s great treasures.»

«I got this album because I loved Shehan’s collaboration with Omar Faruk Tekbilek on his latest album. In any case, Assarouf is so lovely. The music is intense, rich – and Baly Othmani provides the most perfect vocal accompaniment. […] It’s a shame that the album is not readily available new anymore».

Well, “no more available new”, but available here on Babe(b)logue. Enjoy it!

Steve Shehan’s personal Website: http://www.steveshehan.com/index_site.html

Link in comments

The Rough Guide to Bellydance (2002)

«The Western image of bellydancing is associated with Greek or Middle Eastern restaurants, or some form of low-cost home seduction. The truth, of course, is something different. It's an ancient form of dance, requiring extremely complex body control to execute properly — and it's original name, baladi, has nothing to do with the belly, translating instead as "country dance." But whichever way you look at it, the music on this compilation is made for the dance, whether it's the satisfying full Egyptian strings of Jalilah and Mokhtar Al Said's "Enta Omri," a piece originally written for the great Oum Kolthoum, or the stunning buzuq work of the late Mohamed Matar, whose nimble, inventive playing deserves greater exposure. The centerpiece, however, belongs to Nubian percussionist Mahmoud Fadl, with "Aament Bellah," a piece written to illustrate the power of the dance to lighten spirits and the oppressive weight over everyday life. At 12 minutes, it demands a lot from the listener, but amply repays it with shards of musical genius from the ensemble, and a rhythm that can't be denied. The music ranges from the classical compositions of Mohammed Abdel Wahab to folk pieces, presented in a manner that largely runs the gamut of Middle Eastern music. And if you get tired of using it for dancing, it makes excellent listening too.» (AMG)

Link in comments

Maghreb Sound System (2003)

«Les enfants de l’immigration maghrébine, reprenant les traditions musicales de leurs parents, se nourrissent de l’électronique et s’appuient sur des tendances musicales urbaines et occidentales pour préparer un tajine sonore des plus surprenants. Les chansons présentées sur cet album balaient un large spectre des tendances actuelles : hip-hop, dub, jungle, ragga, house, techno… mixées avec du châabi, raï, nuba, kabile, arabo-andalou. Un cross-over réussi où domine les mélodies et les rythmes du Maghreb.» (Indiz.fr)

«La mezcla y fusión entre culturas y músicas pueden deberse a diversos motivos, pero desde luego, los movimientos migratorios son los que generan las fusiones más reales y naturales, pues no surgen de análisis sesudos o de personas con espíritu experimentador… simplemente suceden.

Así, este disco, que ha sido recopilado por Alex Van Loy, aparece como un testigo de las fusiones entre música, nacidas de los movimientos migratorios de personas del norte de África que se han asentado en Europa.

En los 17 cortes que incluye el álbum se puede escuchar música vitalista, fresca, llena de energía y que gracias a la incorporación de elementos propios de la cultura árabe suena a nuestros oídos tremendamente original. Estilos como châabi, raï, nuba, kabil o milhum, por la parte árabe, se encuentran con house, techno, reggae, jazz, Hip Hop… o incluso rock, por la parte occidental.

Dentro de éste planteamiento el contenido resulta realmente diverso […] Maghreb Sound System es un disco interesante, diverso y muy entretenido. Útil para descubrir nuevas músicas, para los DJs que quieran dar un toque exótico a sus sesiones o simplemente para servir de banda sonora a un día optimista.» (F-MHop, La factoria del ritmo. Comentario completo)

Link in comments

Nguyên Lê - Maghreb & Friends (1998)

A musical project focused on Maghreb traditions, but at the same time really cross-cultural in spirit (as well as for the arrangements and the musicians involved), which provides a superb listening experience.

«Born in Paris to Vietnamese parents, Lê grew up listening to Deep Purple, then diversified. This explains his howling, fret-capering electric guitar style, although subtle whammy-bar usage does go a long way towards approximating the traditional folk sounds of his forebears. It's not as if this album only has 70s jazz-rock and Vietnam tradition to deal with. Its cast of players is mostly drawn from North Africa, with traditional string and skin (gimbri, bendir, etc.) mingling with the post-bebop horns of Paolo Fresu and Wolfgang Puschnig. All this rampant mixing might sound like a recipe for fusion disaster, but Lê manages to fold in all the disparate elements convincingly, forging a particular hybrid that the listener is unlikely to find remotely familiar. Occasionally, his guitar is overworked, but mostly Lê makes all the strange meetings appear entirely natural. "FunkRai" features Cheb Mami on synth, its funky rhythm track constructed from loops and samples, while "Ifrikyia" also brings in the West African kora and Peul people's flute. Lê's singers also make new friends, a Maghrebi contingent alternating verses with Vietnamese and Guinean soloists during "Louanges".» (Martin Longley, Amazon UK)

Link in comments