AHMED ABDUL-MALIK - East Meets West (1959-1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The late Ahmed Abdul-Malik was best known to jazz listeners as a bassist with Thelonious Monk, Randy Weston, Coleman Hawkins, and many others. He made a few records as a leader, with this one being his most exotic and also the hardest to find. The Brooklyn native was of Sudanese descent; in addition to playing bass on this interesting blend of Middle Eastern instruments with those from the world of jazz, he also plays oud, the forerunner to the lute. The musicians on Malik's eight originals vary from track to track. On the mournful "La Ibky (Don't Cry)," Malik's oud shares the spotlight with a tenor sax (either Benny Golson or Johnny Griffin) plus trumpeter Lee Morgan. "Rooh (The Soul)" features the 72-string kanoon (which is sort of a brittle sounding and much smaller harp) played by Ahmed Yetman, along with Malik's arco bass and the droning violin of Naim Karacand. The Middle Eastern instruments are absent during "Searchin'," which is sort of a hard bop vehicle featuring trombonist Curtis Fuller and Jerome Richardson on flute, along with the tenor sax. "Takseem (Solo)" omits the jazz instruments; the slowness of the variations of the music and rather piercing vocal make it harder for Western ears to comprehend. Not a release of interest to everyone but, for the most part, this fusion of vastly different styles of music is quite enjoyable; it's obvious from the start that the musicians were enjoying themselves as it was recorded. This long out print LP will be difficult to locate. by Ken Dryden
Tracklist :
1. E-lail (The Night) 4:17
Violin – Naim Karacand
Trumpet – Lee Morgan
Tenor Saxophone – Johnny Griffin
Tenor Saxophone – Benny Golson
Oud, Surbahar – Ahmed Abdul-Malik
Musical Box [Kanon] – Ahmed Yetman
Drums – Al Harewood
Drum [Darabeka] – Bilal Abdurraham
2. La Ibky (Don't Cry) 4:55
Violin – Naim Karacand
Trumpet – Lee Morgan
Tenor Saxophone – Johnny Griffin
Tenor Saxophone – Benny Golson
Oud, Surbahar – Ahmed Abdul-Malik
Musical Box [Kanon] – Ahmed Yetman
Drum [Darabeka] – Bilal Abdurraham
Drums – Al Harewood
3. Takseem (Solo) 5:08
Violin – Naim Karacand
Viola – Jakarawan Nasseur
Tenor Saxophone – Benny Golson
Oud, Surbahar – Ahmed Abdul-Malik
Musical Box [Kanon] – Ahmed Yetman
4. Searchin' 4:02
Trombone – Curtis Fuller
Tenor Saxophone – Benny Golson
Oud, Surbahar – Ahmed Abdul-Malik
Drums – Al Harewood
Flute – Jerome Richardson
5. Isma'a (Listen) 4:15
Violin – Naim Karacand
Trumpet – Lee Morgan
Tenor Saxophone – Johnny Griffin
Tenor Saxophone – Benny Golson
Oud, Surbahar – Ahmed Abdul-Malik
Musical Box [Kanon] – Ahmed Yetman
Drums – Al Harewood
Drum [Darabeka] – Bilal Abdurraham
6. Rooh (The Soul) 3:37
Trombone – Curtis Fuller
Tenor Saxophone – Benny Golson
Oud, Surbahar – Ahmed Abdul-Malik
Flute – Jerome Richardson
Drums – Al Harewood
7. Mahawara (The Fugue) 4:12
Trombone – Curtis Fuller
Tenor Saxophone – Benny Golson
Oud, Surbahar – Ahmed Abdul-Malik
Drums – Al Harewood
Flute – Jerome Richardson
8. El Ghada (The Jungle) 3:06
Trombone – Curtis Fuller
Tenor Saxophone – Benny Golson
Oud, Surbahar – Ahmed Abdul-Malik
Drums – Al Harewood
Flute – Jerome Richardson