Lysander
Oud Junkie
Posts: 410
Registered: 7-26-2013
Location: London, UK
Member Is Offline
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New Driss El Maloumi CD "Makan"
Hello everyone,
I picked up the new Driss El Maloumi album a few weeks ago. I have listened to it many times now and can vouch for its quality.
I have written a short review for Amazon which I shall post here too in a slightly updated form. Hopefully some of you will be able to purchase this
too.
I've listened to a lot of oud music recently from all over the Middle East, having recently got myself an oud and wanting to listen to the masters. Of
course there are many oud players who are virtuosos and technically brilliant, however, for me what was always missing was some real palpable emotion
in the playing. I first heard Driss el Maloumi playing on Hesperion XXI's "Orient - Occident" album and was instantly taken aback by his technical
ability and the texture with which he plays. Every note had a tangible feel to it which you could reach out and grab.
Driss doesn't put out a lot of solo albums [this is his second, I think] and I'm glad to say that Makan is in exactly the style that I came to favour
on the Hesperion album. In this work Driss is joined by a couple of other musicians on percussion [darbuka, daf] - but fear not - the percussion here
is very subtle and understated and perfectly fits in with however quiet or loud Driss is playing. It feels part of the whole thing rather than being
something you can single out. One or two of the tracks have vocals in them which are again, quite subtle and not overpowering, and I was pleased to
see the inclusion of some female vocals in places as well.
Of course the main standout is the oud itself which takes centre stage as you'd expect, being mostly an instrumental album. The overall feel to the
album is energetic and rhythmical, but in an understated way; it's like the fast movement of a very modern high-speed train - you know you're going
somewhere fast, but the journey is so smooth and well-paced. The melodies are quite introspective, there nothing too 'happy' here. Standout tracks are
Imtidad, Khamsa, Douceur pour 2 "R", Intidar [which is remarkable for the novel and experimental oud playing] and the excellent 11 minute Safar which
forms the album's highlight, slowly building and building beautifully to a climax. The only really upbeat and happy song here is Ayour, which is a
nice change from the rest of the album by the time you get there. I should also mention the album booklet which is quite thick and has a lot of
information and photography, which goes nicely with the feel of the work.
Overall an excellent album, esp if you're interested in playing the instrument yourself. I've only gone through it twice so far but I can see this in
rotation for a while.
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Jono Oud N.Z
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1119
Registered: 12-14-2009
Member Is Offline
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Wow!
I will have to get this album.
Driss is awesome
Thanks!
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