Rabih Abou-Khalil's ninth Enja release features one of his most expansive lineups to date -- 12 pieces in all, including oud, brass, woodwinds, cello, and percussion. It's quite a departure from 1999's austere Yara. Here the tempos are bright, the unison lines darting and difficult, the improv heated, the tonal combinations ever-changing. Heavy-hitting jazzers dominate the band roster, including Dave Ballou and Eddie Allen on trumpets, Tom Varner on French horn, Dave Bargeron on euphonium, Antonio Hart on alto sax, and Ellery Eskelin on tenor sax. Gabriele Mirabassi's clarinet gives the music an almost klezmer-like sound at times (a tantalizing instance of Jewish-Arab reconciliation). The gorgeous booklet includes a prose poem by Gamal Ghitany (printed in English, French, and Arabic), as well as a series of campy band portraits and a full transcription of track number five, "Oum Saïd." Looking over the score, one gets some sense of the rhythmic complexity Abou-Khalil is dealing with (try counting in 6+5+5+3/16, for instance). ~ David R. Adler
Audio Mixer: Walter Quintus.
Recording information: WDR Studio, Cologne, Germany (07/22/2000-07/30/2000).
Photographer: Thomas Dorn.
Arranger: Rabih Abou-Khalil.
Personnel: Rabih Abou-Khalil (oud); Antonio Hart (alto saxophone); Ellery Eskelin (tenor saxophone); Eddie Allen, Dave Ballou (trumpet); Tom Varner (French horn); Michel Godard (tuba); Dave Bargeron (euphonium); Gabriele Mirabassi (clarinet); Vincent Courtois (cello); Jarrod Cagwin (drums); Nabil Khaiat (frame drum).
Personnel: Rabih Abou-Khalil (oud); Vincent Courtois (cello); Gabriele Mirabassi (clarinet); Antonio Hart (alto saxophone); Ellery Eskelin (tenor saxophone); Dave Ballou, Eddie Allen (trumpet); Tom Varner (French horn); Dave Bargeron (euphonium); Michel Godard (tuba); Jarrod Cagwin (drums); Nabil Khaiat, Nabil Khaiat (frame drum).
World Jazz
Down Beat (7/02, p.65) - 4.5 stars out of 5 - "...An exciting 8-tune collection that couples swinging big band drive with the spiraling Arabic musical sensibility of his native Lebanon..."
Cactus Of Knowledge Music
Rabih Abou-Khalil - Cactus Of Knowledge Songs
| 1 | Lewinsky March See All 2 | | | |
| 2 | Business As Usual | | | |
| 3 | Fraises Er Creme Fraiche | | | |
| 4 | Got To Go Home | | | |
| 5 | Oum Said | | | |
| 6 | Maltese Chicken Farm | | | |
| 7 | Ma Muse M'Amuse | | | |
| 8 | Pont Neuf | | | |
Cactus Of Knowledge Review
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