jaron
Oud Maniac
Posts: 84
Registered: 6-14-2008
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
An oud with a past
Paul O graced me with a piece of good fortune. He heard I was looking for an arabic oud and dug one out of his closet and sold it to me today. It
had not been played for years...
I have now been playing it for hours.
This is an unusual instrument with an unusual past.
It started out as- well the forum oudists can interpret what's left of the original label.
A repair person in Brooklyn slapped his own label over the original at one point.
And then John Merjanian replaced the face, neck, pegs- everything but the bowl and the roses, which are still original.
As I've been playing the instrument, it has opened up, and is revealing an amazing voice. It is pure joy to play. Photos to follow...
|
|
|
jaron
Oud Maniac
Posts: 84
Registered: 6-14-2008
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
roses
|
|
|
jaron
Oud Maniac
Posts: 84
Registered: 6-14-2008
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
more of label
|
|
|
jaron
Oud Maniac
Posts: 84
Registered: 6-14-2008
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
more of label
|
|
|
jaron
Oud Maniac
Posts: 84
Registered: 6-14-2008
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
roses
|
|
|
jaron
Oud Maniac
Posts: 84
Registered: 6-14-2008
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
the bowl
|
|
|
jaron
Oud Maniac
Posts: 84
Registered: 6-14-2008
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
the bowl at last
|
|
|
DaveH
Oud Junkie
Posts: 526
Registered: 12-23-2005
Location: Birmingham, UK
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
That's a very special ex-hana nahat you've got there. You have to wonder what else Paul 0 has stashed in that cupboard.
|
|
|
Jameel
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1672
Registered: 12-5-2002
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
Wow. Nice score. PaulO, what else have you got?!?!?
|
|
|
SamirCanada
Moderator
Posts: 3405
Registered: 6-4-2004
Member Is Offline
|
|
YEAH ! that is a SICK oud !!!!
you do know that it is a Nahat bowl right?
the old Label reads
georges hana nahat.
its a keeper.
|
|
|
Christian1095
Oud Junkie
Posts: 454
Registered: 4-29-2008
Location: North Carolina, USA
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
Who just lets such beautiful instruments sit around in a closet?!?! 
Wow, it's beautiful...
Chris Walters
|
|
|
jaron
Oud Maniac
Posts: 84
Registered: 6-14-2008
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
Some more gossip about this instrument- it has a huge bowl. A lot of people can't play it comfortably.
It is in fact more of a Merjanian instrument than a Nahat, but of course it isn't like any other Merjanian in it's scale or shape.
The tone doesn't sound anything like either the one Hana Nahat I've played, or the other Merjanians.
It's actually a little closer to the one Shehata I've played, the one belonging to John Erlich.
It's amazing how much it has opened up after a day of playing.
|
|
|
jaron
Oud Maniac
Posts: 84
Registered: 6-14-2008
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
It isn't important, but I can't help but be curious about the person in Brooklyn who put a label over the original nahat label. It looks like the
original was partially scraped off...
Can anyone tell what year the bowl was made?
|
|
|
Dr. Oud
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1370
Registered: 12-18-2002
Location: Sacramento, CA, USA
Member Is Offline
Mood: better than before
|
|
George Hana earliest labels are from 1930's latest 1950. Shame on Toufiq Ajhar for scrapping off the original, covering it with his and trying to take
credit for this master oud. Despicable! see
http://www.droud.com/nahats.htm
for more Nahat info.
|
|
|
jaron
Oud Maniac
Posts: 84
Registered: 6-14-2008
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
The 1958 instrument in your gallery looks the most similar to this one-
The bowls are very similar, as are the labels with the seals added.
The 1959 instrument has similar roses.
|
|
|
DaveH
Oud Junkie
Posts: 526
Registered: 12-23-2005
Location: Birmingham, UK
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
Hey Doc, just have to jump to the defence of Toufiq there (not that I know him) - if his intentions were less than honourable, surely he wouldn't have
left the original makers' name on the only bit of label that's showing or on the rose?? I think he was just putting his stamp on the long history of
this oud.
Those ivory inlays are something aren't they?
|
|
|
paulO
Oud Junkie
Posts: 531
Registered: 9-8-2004
Location: California
Member Is Offline
Mood: Utz
|
|
Hi Folks,
The oud was purchased by my uncle Vard Kazanjian from an SF bay area oud player, George Bedrosian in the mid 1970's. After a Thanksgiving dinner one
year, my uncle gave me the oud. It had made several moves with him, and it had always been on display, but he'd never got around to playing. The
bridge had pulled off, and there was some other damage to the face as well. I sent the oud to John, who called me back with the news that he was
unable to repair the top. So John went ahead with a rebuild where he tossed out everything but the roses and the bowl. He did a lovely job as you can
see from the fine pics Jaron posted. The oud was just too large for me to play comfortably -- so it kind of sat around for years (about 15), until
last Sunday that is ! Glad you're digging the oud Jaron.
Regards....PaulO
|
|
|
jaron
Oud Maniac
Posts: 84
Registered: 6-14-2008
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
For what it's worth, I can tell you that when I played my lumpy old Sukar or the gruesome fake Fadel, our cat Loof would run away, but when I play the
Nahat/Merjanian, Loof cuddles up and tries to get close to it...
|
|
|
Raabiah
Oud Maniac
Posts: 50
Registered: 9-14-2007
Location: UK
Member Is Offline
Mood: lost in a world of oudism
|
|
i dont think i'll be heplful according to the history of this instrument but it is absolutley stunning. keep on oudistatin ppl
|
|
|
Alan
Oud Junkie
Posts: 118
Registered: 9-30-2003
Location: Tampa Bay Florida
Member Is Offline
Mood: Mellow Yellow
|
|
| Quote: | Originally posted by Dr. Oud
George Hana earliest labels are from 1930's latest 1950. Shame on Toufiq Ajhar for scrapping off the original, covering it with his and trying to take
credit for this master oud. Despicable! see
http://www.droud.com/nahats.htm
for more Nahat info. |
Richard, you may not remember but you removed a Toufiq Ajhar label from my dad's 1902 Hana Nahat. Toufiq did not put his label over Hanas but did
drip glue on Hana's face. Toufiq did a remodel job on this oud 5-25-60. I remember my dad telling me that he offered any oud in his shop for the
Nahat. I don't think my father knew the legacy of the Nahats but turned him down figuring that it must be worth a lot. Toufig took the original
tuning pegs and replace them with viola pegs.  Not sure what else he took.
Nice looking oud jaron.
|
|
|
stringmanca
Oud Junkie
Posts: 224
Registered: 8-4-2005
Location: Martinez, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Oud Moud
|
|
Here are a couple of pictures of this oud from February, when it stayed at my house for a week. Paul0 had offered it to me but the sound just wasn't
what I was looking for. It's a beautiful instrument, though - glad it found a good home! Enjoy it, Jaron!!
Closeup of the neck:
|
|
|
jaron
Oud Maniac
Posts: 84
Registered: 6-14-2008
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
The sound is unusual - you know when I first played it I was disappointed- almost didn't buy it- the sound seemed dead in the upper courses and there
were some other problems- I played it intensely for a few days- for many hours- and it completely transformed- it is not a typical oud, but it is an
amazing oud.. will post some sound samples soon-
|
|
|
![[*]](images/xmbprobrown/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
