Roots of Strings: A Musical Journey with the Arabic Oud

It's a dark irony that the protracted suffering of the Syrian conflict has given Western audiences unprecedented opportunities to hear the country's musicians. The terrible situation has caused many to Leave their homeland and among these is the oud player Nazih Borish, who is now based in Québec. Roots of Strings is his first solo album and introduces us to a fine and inventive musician.

Syrian oud playing developed enormously in the 20 years before the conflict, as a new generation embraced fresh ideas coming from around the Arab world. Although self-taught, Borish would have learned his craft surrounded by these sounds and his style blends Damascene classical with racier Turkish and even North American elements: the key to its success being flawless technique and sensitivity. On some tracks, Joseph Khoury accompanies with a well-chosen variety of percussion instruments that bring real colour and character to the sound. The use of double bass with oud divides opinion but, when played as tastefully as this, it can add sensuous depth. There is much to enjoy here, from the languid meditation of ‘2011’ to the gleeful oud freak-out of ‘Ali Baba Dance’, which actually made me laugh out loud.