Reviews
The Sacred Lute
Nour Ali Elahi (1895-1975) deserves to be much better known than he is. The fact that he has just been...
Reviewed in issue Apr/May/2015
Inn of Love
There seems to be a growing fashion for young female singers of Turkish origin to be accompanied by European jazz...
Reviewed in issue Apr/May/2015
Aman! Sefarad…
Sephardic music – the songs of Spanish Jews exiled in 1492 – has been popular in the early music scene...
Reviewed in issue Apr/May/2015
Codex
Life can be tough as a percussionist, particularly if you’re a solo artist. Live performance is one thing, but getting...
Reviewed in issue Jan/Feb/2015
Neva/Harmony
A decade or so ago a Turkish singer covering songs from the Balkans to Armenia through Greece and Turkey...
Reviewed in issue Jan/Feb/2015
Avaz
Iranian percussionist Keyvan Chemirani leads an impressive group, bringing together Persian mystical poetry and Breton laments – it's slightly similar...
Reviewed in issue Jan/Feb/2015
Iran: Music of the Qajar Era
Infamous for their ineptitude, extravagance, despotism and venality, among other things, the Qajar dynasty is seldom praised when reflecting...
Reviewed in issue Jan/Feb/2015
L’âme du Luth
It does seem incredible, but some students at the Damascus Conservatory – where Waed Bouhassoun first studied – once told...
Reviewed in issue Jan/Feb/2015
The Rough Guide to Arabic Jazz
Some shocking musical crimes have been committed in the name of Arabic jazz: the number of unremarkable CDs of unbridled...
Reviewed in issue October/2014
Smile of Sun: Folk Music from Lorestan
Lorestan is an area of western Iran with its own language and culture; it's a region celebrated for its kamancheh...
Reviewed in issue October/2014
