Adel SALAMEH is my favourite player , he is not a musician but an artist who tell us stories .
Wait, I am confused! Is he an Oud player or is he a poet? Or a bardic sage? Does he know Roald Dahl? He's my favourite story teller. Does he tell
these stories in the context of non-movement orientated dance/songs?
To be sure, Adel Salameh is a greatly gifted technician of the Oud, but for me, heart and soul lacking. Just my opinion/observation. DORADO - 3-13-2013 at 04:44 AM
Sorry Bodhi ,
that was only my humble feelings .I had the chance to listen to Adel(live)'s playing and i don't feel that he is just a technical player!!!
John Erlich - 3-13-2013 at 08:26 AM
Of course, we are all entitled to our opinions. Our differences in taste is what makes the world an interesting place. Personally, I find both the
craftsmanship of Turkish uds and technical skill of Turkish ud players generally superior to what is found in the Arab World. But, guess what: I
mostly listen to Arabic oud recordings and play an Iraqi oud as my primary instrument. It's all about what "speaks" to your soul.
I also hope to hear Adel live someday (live on the other side of the world in N.California, USA) and meet him.
Peace out,
"Udi" JohnAlfaraby - 3-13-2013 at 12:50 PM
Both ouds are unbelievable. The Brazilian Elias Nahat's oud is a masterpiece, while Tawfiq's is a living legend. To my Eastern ear, this is how an oud
should sound like, no matter whether it's played by an accomplished player like Adel Salameh or by any student. Adel is my friend, so I shall restrain
my personal opinion about "heart and soul lacking" issue. Adel has thousands of fans who would travel thousands of miles to meet him and hear him
playing, with or without "heart and soul". He just "speaks" to them.
This thread should have been titled "Tawfiq & Elias Nahat , competitor cousins", though a half of a century separates between the two ouds. The
Brazilian is from the last ouds Elias made in the 1980's, while Tawfiq's is from the 1930's, as much as I can detect.
"Nahat in Brazil" has been for long a very interesting thread here:
To my ears his playing is pure heart and soul, alongside his technical brilliance. I love his delicate little phrases and modulations.Ararat66 - 3-13-2013 at 02:14 PM
I'll second the delicacy and poetic use of strong and soft tone.
That is the record I owned. It really didn't do it for me.
I should also add that Arab music generally doesn't "speak" to me, so to Alfaraby, Dorado and Khalid I would like to point out that perhaps the Arab
heart string is plucked a different way and that it doesn't resonate with me, that is why I stressed that it was my opinion. I would also say it this
way, Beyonce has thousands of fans who would flock to her performances, much the same a Adel Salameh, but again I find the music lacking heart and
soul, and it doesn't speak to me either.
...and to Dorado I didn't intend to pick on your post to insult you or belittle your opinion, it just made for a nice joke. sorry if it didn't come across.
I should be more delicate on the subject of heart and soul I suppose, like John say "we are all entitled to our opinions. Our differences in taste is
what makes the world an interesting place."
I must also add that this is not the first time I have been the only person in a room that doesn't enjoy Adel Salameh's music.
