Safar

Here comes another new project from the new Tunisia. Except it is not quite the new Tunisia, but rather, the new Tunisian diaspora. Imed Alibi, previously of the French fusion rock band Les Boukakes, unleashes his Berber and Sufi-inspired percussion alongside Zé Luis Nascimento’s Brazilian percussion, Stéphane Puech’s epic orchestrations, Zied Zouari’s snaking violin lines and the signature rhythmic bombardment of guitarist Justin Adams. This album is very much a global collaboration.

The music has the full, driving punch that is distinctive to so many projects involving Adams, lending a muscular quality to what might otherwise be ornate classical music. This works very well with Alibi’s percussion, the centrepiece of this project.

Starting with all the majesty of a film score, the opening track rises to a crescendo of rhythmic bass chants and strings. Adams lends his guitar skills to ‘Bounawara’ and ‘Maknassy’, while the latter track features guest vocals from Emel Mathlouthi, a Tunisian singer who released an exciting debut – Kelmti Horra - in 2012 (reviewed in #83). Her vocals lift the sound even higher. Further musical textures are added by Michel Marre’s trumpet intro to ‘Fanfare d’Alexandrie’, and qanun (zither) and ney (flute) from Suzdil Ahmad and Nabil Ghannouchi respectively on ‘Nafass’.