Best Islamic Music
1 The Rain
The musicans, who have named themselves after an ancient form of romantic poetry, perform on sitar (a multi-stringed Indian plucked instrument with a tall fretboard attached to a resonating gourd) and kamancheh (a sonorous but gutty-sounding spike fiddle) and voice, accompanied by a tabla virtuoso (a tuned skin drum commonly played in India and Pakistan).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This is a shimmering, scintillating, plangent CD."
"I owned this for years on CD, but someone borrowed it and never returned it to me, subsequently it was lost."
"Inspite my personal preference, I suggest to friends, this is a must have CD!"
"Ghazal Live - wish I was there."
"Lovely gentile music with a soft Middle Eastern or Indian sitar flair."
"The interplay of the musicians is nothing less than astounding, and the sound quality is lovely (typical for an ECM disk.). In this, I was a little disappointed; I had hoped for new material from Ghazal (I preordered the CD as soon as I heard about it.)."
"Very soothing."
Evgeny Svetlanov conducts the USSR Symphony Orchestra in these works: Dawn on the Moskva River (introduction to the opera Khovanshchina, orchestration by Dmitri Shostakovich), A Night on Bald Mountain (orchestration by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov), and Hopak (from act 3 of the opera Sorochintsky Fair, Orchestration by Anatoli Liadov), by Modest Mussorgsky; In the Steppes of Central Asia, and Polovtsian Dances with Chorus (from Act 2 of the Opera Prince Igor), by Alexander Borodin; Sadko, Op. 36), by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; Islamey (orchestration by Sergei Lyapunov), by Mily Balakirev; Dream on the Volga (overture to the opera), by Anton Arensky; Spring, Op.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"These are older recordings from the 1960's through 1990's, but Svetlanov's readings are uniformly excellent, and and there are some real treats in this collection, such as Rimsky-Korsakov's first big hit, the tone poem Sadko which he made into a full opera decades later."
"This is a beautifully atmospheric collection of Russian tableaux."
"The performances include the inspired - take Rimsky-Korsakov's "Bright Holiday", Borodin's "In the steppes of Central Asia" or Alexander Glazunov's "Spring" as illustrations - to the less successful. Because Lyadov completed so little orchestral music, these works would be an ideal component of a set like this one. Also included are some turn-of-the-20th-century works that were once better known, such as Anton Arensky's "Dream on the Volga" overture, Vassily Kalinnikov's "Nymphs" (which I believe is the wrong piece to have pulled from the 1990 Svetlanov session devoted to this talented composer) and Balakirev's "Islamey", the Balakirev being the only track in the set done live. Some data: the performances range from 1963 for one of the Mussorgsky tracks, to several from later in the 1960s ("In the steppes" and "Sadko") and 1970s (the Lyadov, the other Mussorgsky and Borodin as well as "Bright Holiday"), a couple from the 1980s ("Islamey" and the Arensky overture) and concluding with some 1990 recordings (the Glazunov and Kalinnikov)."
"My experience has been that when you offer the combination of Russian orchestral pieces, Svetlanov conducting and the Melodyia label, you generally get pretty entertaining results. While I might agree that the Melodyia sound and engineering shows their respective ages, you can't beat this selection and the price."
"Yevgeny Svetlanov conducting the National USSR Symphony Orchestra is a perfect combination, and a few of these performances are available for viewing on YouTube."
"This CD set was part of a series released by BMG in the mid 90s after their licensing agreement with Russian record label MELODIYA. The USSR (State) Symphony Orchestra, now the Russian State Symphony Orchestra is one of the finest orchestras in Russia and the late maestro Svetlanov one of the leading and most prolific conductors of the ex-USSR."
"If you too like Russian music, please treat yourself to this delightful 2-CD set."
The discs include Quran recitations, Sufi qawwali, the music of whirling dervishes, the folk music of Egypt, Andalusian sounds of Morocco, and recordings from Yemen, Tunisia, Turkey, Iran, and several other countries, some of which you may not have thought housed Muslim populations.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I had this set and gave it to a friend who loves middle eastern and north african music so I bought a new set."
"The recording quality is excellent, as are the liner notes, which provide information about the performers, about the style(s) of music on each disc, and about the music of Islam in general."
"A loevly collection, with very good selections, being recorded specially for the collection at sites."
"The linear notes give wonderful detail on Islamic religion, music instrumentation,"art" music, "folk" music, etc. The booklets overlap on some of the general topics and each booklet has its own linear notes for that particular disc of music."
"Recorded in Morocco, Egypt, Tunesia, Turkey, Yemen, Pakistan, Indonesia, Iran and Qatar, each disc has something special on it. A beautiful example is the disc of Bedouin singers recorded in a caravan camp on a dry river bed under the full moon in the South Sinai Desert. Not to detract in any way from Mr. Parsons monumental work, I should state that this series in no way covers the full range of Islamic music. The countries of Labanon, Syria, Jordan Afghanistan, Turkistan, Dagestan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Burma, Thailand, and the Philippines are not represented here, nor are the Islamic populations of sub-Saharan Africa and South Eastern Europe (the Balkans), nor are many ethnic groups, including the Gypsies, each with their own musical styles and traditions. As David Parsons once put it, when people are sitting around playing music together, or singing and dancing, they usually aren't mowing each other down with machine guns."
"For example, imagine listening to musicians playing on location in a dry creek bed in the Sudan and then suddenly hearing rhythmic hand-clapping with obvious affinities for Andalusian (or Spanish flamenco) styles."
"amazing vocal quality, I listen to this for hours."
Best Indonesian Music
The Music of Islam Vol.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Having just read the ethnomusicological book "Divine Inspirations: Music and Islam in Indonesia," I desired to hear some musical examples but was astonished to find very few available in the United States. It focuses on Western Sumatra and the Aceh province; if that sounds familiar, it is because the northern tip of Aceh was smashed by a tsunami in December 2004 with devastation and much loss of life. This is followed by a series of drumming tracks of processions, dirges, and competitions, with various rhythms. The sound is similar to Japanese taiko and Korean pungmul drumming with a touch of Anglo-Dutch rhythms. Subjects cover earthquakes, school education, and fishing, with respect given to Allah and the Prophet."
Best Israeli Music
This record was originally released 20 years ago and became an instant classic.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Although the musicians are very good, I felt there needed to be more variety in the music."
"They rummaged through stacks of old 78 rpm records to find the musical rosetta stones that would make this nearly extinct music form comprehensible to ears unfamiliar with the "krechtz" (moans and groans)of a wailing clarinet or fiddle playing a soulful doina or a foot-stomping freilach played by a kapelye (klezmer ensemble) at full throttle. In sharp contrast, Andy Statman and Zev Feldman offer us an older form of klezmer, which typically tended towards smaller ensembles that were similiar in instrumentation to the local non-Jewish fiddle-led string bands (in fact, non-Jewish musicians, especially Gypsies, often played in klezmer kapelyes). The wonderful music is supported by well-researched, well-written liner notes by Zev Feldman, who is a noted authority on not only klezmer but also on Eastern-European, Balkan and Near-Eastern traditional music forms."
"The combination of traditional instruments and choice of musical selections is absolutely delightful."
"Very different, but enjoyable."
"Andy and Zev started the Klezmer revival in the late 70's/early 80's."
"Occasionally there is some bass and percussion on this disc, but for the most part it is just clarinet and cymbalon. I would even say that I think this is a better first choice than some of the legendary masters' albums, such as Tarras and Brandwein, if for no other reason than this disc has very good recording quality and also the presence of the cymbalon."
Best Arabic Music
Le pas du chat noir gives the clearest indication yet of the work of Brahem as composer and features a spacious "chamber music" that resonates with the freshness of improvisation.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Very nice and gentle."
"If you like classical Indian music, classical guitar or more restful music, I would really strongly recommend both Sahar and Le Pas du Chat Noir."
"I was hooked after hearing the first few sound bites of this album, and I've been listening to it every day for months."
"This is just gorgeous music."
"This album is what music is all about."
"beautiful and mysterious."
"where classical becomes modern and visa versa."
"This is my first listening of Brahem."
Best Iraqi Music
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"What wonderful music comes from Baghdad and Iraq in general."
"The piece "Amiriyyah" that another reviewer likens to a siren is just that -- a tone poem or picture of Baghdad under US bombing attacks."
"The piece "Amiriyyah" that another reviewer likens to a siren is just that -- a tone poem or picture of Baghdad under US bombing attacks."
"What wonderful music comes from Baghdad and Iraq in general."
"NASEER a native babylonian from IRAQ has nine (9) music pieces in this CD all composed by him & each of them has a story to go with, he play them live on stage, showing his style and a very nice music rhythm to them."
"This music does not fit the stereotype of Near Eastern music- in point of fact, in many ways this disc is more reminiscent of a bravura recital by a musician from the Western classical music tradition. The piece about the bombing of the orphanage is quite obviously about something like that and belongs to the international tradition of protest music that uses instrumental sound effects to convey horror- does anyone else remember Jimi Hendrix playing the Star Spangled Banner during the Vietnam war?"
"Perhaps my expectations were too high, or maybe I am used to that style of the Egyptian School of famous musicians such as Fareed Al - Atrash."
"That sort of piece works well in live concert to show variety and special effects, but not on a CD, in my opinion."
Best Iranian Music
Renowned for his work with Ghazal , a group that bridges Indian and Persian music, he applies a similar approach to Iranian folk and classical forms on Night Silence Desert . The Radif (Persian classical repertoire) grew from folk forms, but over the centuries the music evolved from its simple rural origins into an elaborately ornamented and rigorously structured style. Kayhan Kalhor, master of the kamancheh (the bowed four-string precursor to most Asian and European bowed instruments) and setar (four-string long-necked lute), composed Night Silence Desert as a contemporary experimental suite fusing Iranian folk and classical traditions.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This is a beloved evening in the desert of our hearts."
"Fascinating traditional persian music."
"I enjoy music from Pakistan and India and this is a nice fusion from a Persian mix."
"Poetry and music as beatiful as the landscapes it describes...simply phantastic and delightful... ...a muscial journey in a wonderful world...."
"Rich sound and voices, Mohammad Reza Shajarian offers an amazing immersion into traditional Persian music."
"nice for giving massage treatment or relaxing."
"The exquisite spiritual beauty and true loving instrumental/vocal mastery of this work is a collector's item - one of the best in Persian music."
"This is my third CD from Iran, and I must say, I've become very attached to Iranian music now."
Best Syrian Music
Mesmerizing music from some of the greatest musicians of the Arab world.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I was looking for instrumental music, not lyrics and this fit the bill."
Best Turkish Music
Frowned on by the paranoid Turkish authorities she would face the threat of imprisonment due to her unwaning desire for freedom of speech and a demand for a quality of human life.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Great condition!"
"Okay, it's probably the only 1970's Turkish psychedelic folk rock I've ever listened to, but I really liked this album."
"It's a solid Turkish album and you won't be disapointed. I'm like "Oh Selda..." It's got some rockers and it's got some nice slower melodies."
Best Lebanese Music
Lebanese, Egyptian, Moroccan, and Algerian artists such as former Londoner Natacha Atlas (who has been featured with both Transglobal Underground and Jah Wobble) contribute 11 songs which lend themselves to sensual dance, exotic drink, and glamorous gatherings of multicultural hipsters.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The familiar beat allows me to feel comfortable while appreciating more and more that there are Eastern strains in the melodies - strains that evoke belly dancers or snake charmers, for instance. The songs, with a Western beat and Eastern words and melodies, are rather catchy and I often find myself "singing" along, even though I don't understand the lyrics."
"The production is also poor...some of the songs end abruptly, as if the producers weren't paying attention when they put together the tracks."
"Great Music, and great artist, truly enjoy this type of music, Amazon is great place to purchase."
"I can't understand the words but the music is terrific!"
"Loved the album but I knew what I was looking for as my troupe dances to one of the songs on this album."
"WE have had this CD before & we like the music, good to dance to."
"This has got to be one of my all time favorite funky music CDs."
Best Music of Yemen
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Music is great."
"First heard Kahalani on Matisyahu's Spark Seeker album."
"Heard these guys live at the 2013 Reno ArtTown and had to get a disc, wow!"
"although the reason i bought this cd is from the song previewed on the voyager series was not present the music was still soulful and uplifting."
"Ravid Kahalani is very talented, with a group of amazing musicians he creates new rhythms deriving from diverse genres."
Best Music of Afghanistan
From Kabul to California, Homayun Sakhi is admired as the outstanding Afghan rubâb player of his generation, a charismatic virtuoso who has pushed the limits of his instrument.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Homayun Sakhi is peaceful w/tunes that soothe the audience."
"Our Press paints Afghanistan as a backward, dusty country devoid of any cultural richness and overrun by barbaric religious fanatics. Sadly, the oppressed common Afgan man (and certainly woman) are heirs to an ancient culture where the arts flourished along side those of its sister India to the east and Persia to the west."
"The Music of Central Asia initiative was set up by the Aga Khan and the Smithsonian Insitution to document the surviving folk music traditions of that rich part of the world, and to present it to the global community with enough background to get the most out of it. In this third volume, the Afghan rubab tradition is represented by virtuoso performer Homayun Sakhi. While the rubab is squarely a Central Asian creation, but its Afghani performance tradition developed in close relationship with players in the East, and so afficionados of North Indian music will find this to be quite familiar."
"(little new to the Afghan music) chosen are of a more minor/dissonant nature than the Afghan music I've heard on popular Afghan websites. The instrument itself is related to sarod, but much more percussive due to frets."
"I was hoping for more percussion, but the instrumental music was pleasing."
"Homayun jaan and Toryala jaan are both exceptional musicians and performers, respectively."
"Who played the instrument RABAB is so good, you can feel it in your heart, when you listen to it more and more carefuly, it will grab you heart, some times it will take me so away from this world, Sound of Rubab is so deep and full of joy and flavor."
"Homayun Sakhi is living proof that faith in God and faith in yourself still produce the highest results in man."