Just how many jazz oud recordings does the world really need? While there certainly is a shared tradition of improvisation in both Oriental and jazz music, it does seem as though this sub-genre is getting rather crowded. Inevitably there are going to be excellent examples along with some duffers, as perfectly demonstrated by these two recent releases. Dhafer Youssef is a Tunisian oud player and singer, now living in Norway, who combines the minimalist textures of Scandinavian contemporary jazz with the ethereal sound of Sufi chant. Birds Requiem is a startling and innovative recording, remarkable for the way in which it evokes images of both a frozen Nordic landscape and the North African desert. In atmosphere, there are traces of Anouar Brahem’s Le Pas du Chat Noir, but Youssef’s voice is entirely his own, in every sense. While he is an inventive and sensitive oud player, it is his astonishing singing, which ranges from a gravely whisper to floating falsetto, that really sets this CD apart. If you like nothing better than wistfully staring out of the window on a grey afternoon, Birds Requiem will provide you with the ideal soundtrack.

Nashaz are a New York-based ensemble of jazz musicians led by oud player Brian Punka. The band unquestionably does bring both North American jazz and Arab music together but, judging by this album, it hasn’t yet realised its vision of an ‘organic union’ between the two styles. Whereas Youssef melds disparate elements to create something original and seamless, Nashaz only succeed in putting two styles together: it’s as though Punka’s oud and Kenny Warren’s trumpet are politely smiling at each other across the studio but they have yet to strike up a conversation.

A Tunisian moves to Norway and creates something arrestingly beautiful with the avant-garde musicians he meets there. An American jazzer takes up the oud and creates something rather mundane. Such is the capricious nature of musical fusions.