Anouar Brahem – Barzakh [ECM 1432] 1991
This starkly beautiful collection of 13 tracks by Tunisian composer Anouar Brahem is his debut release for the ECM label. The album spotlights Brahem's solo oud pieces, which range from the meditative ("Sadir") to the propulsive ("Ronda"). This solo work is nicely augmented by stellar contributions from violinist Bechir Selmi and percussionist Lassad Hosni; Selmi is featured on the transcendent "Barzakh," while Hosni figures prominently on "Souga" and "Bou Naouara." The three musicians come together for the joyous dance number "Parfum de Gitane." Throughout Barzakh, Brahem and the others forge an appealing mix of Middle Eastern sonorities and jazz phrasing, an intimate sound perfectly suited to the clean and spacious ECM recording style. This is a great title for fans of both international music and jazz.
Stephen Cook
Tracklist & Credits :
Anouar Brahem – Conte de l'incroyable amour
[ECM 1457] 1992
Conte de L'incroyable Amour is Tunisian composer and oud virtuoso Anouar Brahem's follow-up to his excellent ECM debut, Barzakh. Like its predecessor, this release contains original material that mixes Arabic music and jazz improvisation and features a stellar band comprised of some of Turkey's finest musicians (this time out Brahem is joined by clarinetist Barbaros Erkose, nay (reed flute) player Kudsi Ergune, and the percussionist from Barzakh, Lassad Hosni). In contrast to Barzakh's livelier mood, though, the sound here is more meditative and even stark at times, especially on solo flights by both Brahem ("Iram Retrouvee") and Erkose ("Etincelles") and by way of Erguner's ethereal improvisations ("Diversion"). The pace picks up on the sympathetically played and joyous ensemble piece "Conte de L'incroyable Amour" and on the impassioned Brahem and Erkose duet, "Nayzak." ECM's typically sparse and airy production compliments Brahem's ascetic material without making it sound too dry. A wonderful album that, upon repeated listening, reveals many transcendent moments.
Stephen Cook
Tracklist & Credits : Anouar Brahem – Madar (ECM Records – ECM 1515) 1994
On this CD Jan Garbarek (doubling on tenor and soprano) is accompanied only by Anouar Brahem on oud and Ustad Shaukat Hussain's tabla. Garbarek shows off his distinctive tones and lyricism on a set of gradually developing group originals, two of which are based on traditional Norwegian melodies. It may take some time for listeners to get into this music and notice the fire beneath the ice but the close communication between the players is apparent from the start. Jan Garbarek has succeeded in carving out his own unique niche in improvised music and Madar (which also has individual features for Brahem and Shaukat) is a good example of how he can create a great deal out of what seems like very little
. Scott Yanow
Tracklist + Credits :
Anouar Brahem – Khomsa [ECM 1561] 1995
Khomsa is the heroine in the movie Bezness, and also inspires one of many musical themes from Tunisian films and theater documented on this CD. Oud player Anouar Brahem has performed these pieces across a decade with different ensembles, but for the first time they were recorded in one studio setting. The instrumentation varies in size and de-emphasizes Brahem's role as a frontman. In fact, upon listening, this could just as easily be credited under the direction of the brilliant accordionist Richard Galliano, for his role is heard more often as the lead instrument. The musicians combine here and there with the dynamic ECM signature rhythm team of bassist Palle Danielsson and drummer Jon Christensen, or in certain instances pianist François Couturier, violinist Bechir Selmi, and on rare occasion soprano saxophonist Jean Marc Larché. The themes are luxurious, rich, beautiful, and organic, with no wasted motion or excesses, and there is a feeling of being on a journey. Galliano's solo "Comme un Depart," the solo oud of Brahem in "L'Infini Jour," and Selmi's "Regard de Mouette" get the caravan slowly started. "Claquent les Voiles" sports Brahem's mysterious Middle Eastern lines and chords with the masterful bassist and drummer, while "Vague" is hymnal in Galliano's ability to stretch long tied notes with his bellows. Couturier is a delicate stylist, matching theological timbres on "Vague," and working in tandem with Brahem during "Seule" and on the light 6/8 rhythm of "Nouvelle Vague" with Galliano. He also plays a little synthesizer, specifically during the circular "Un Sentier d'Alliance" aside overdubbed echoed piano and soprano sax. Most of the collective play on "Ain Ghazel," a sensitive and sensual musical sketch, features contrasting soprano sax from Larché, atypically animated drumming by Christensen, and Brahem's pensive oud as the period on a sentence. "Souffle un Vent de Sable" shows a group design in breathing, balanced tones led by Galliano, and Brahem coming in after the fact with the bass and drums. The title track displays a unified whole in the ECM spirit with Brahem, Galliano, Couturier, and Danielsson. Closest to jazz is "Des Rayons et des Ombres," a fast trio number with Galliano and the rhythm section approaching bop. "Comme une Absence" concludes the project with two overdubbed violin tracks from Selmi. The buyer should be aware that the personnel listed on the booklet cover does not reflect the entire combo at any one time. Otherwise, this is a beautiful contemporary statement reflecting the cinematic forms Brahem loves, mixed with European classical and improvisational sensibilities, professionally rendered, and well within the tradition of world jazz and the clean ECM concept.
Michael G. Nastos
Tracklist & Credits :
Anouar Brahem | John Surman | Dave Holland
Thimar [ECM 1641] 1998
Thimar is a most impressive collaboration between Brahem, soprano saxophonist/bass clarinetist John Surman and double bassist Dave Holland which superbly fuses the traditions of jazz with those of Arab classical music, pushing the parameters of both while succumbing to the clichés of neither.
Raymond McKinney Tracklist & Credits :
Anouar Brahem Trio – Astrakan Café [ECM 1718] 2000
The Tunisian oud genius has done it again. Anouar Brahem has issued only five records under his own name over the past decade, each more adventurous than the last, without compromising his original vision: for the music of his region to meet with the other music of Africa and Asia and create a delirious sound that is equal thirds past, present, and future, along the precipice of historical lineage. For Brahem there is no attempt to synthesize the globe, or even the sounds of the East with those of the West. He is content in his knowledge that sound is infinite, and that his tradition, as it evolves and expands into a deeper pan-African/trans-Asian whole, is more than large enough for a master musician to rummage through in one lifetime. Astrakan Café, the follow-up to his brilliant Thimar, is a smaller-sounding recording that reaches farther into the deep crags of the Balkans. With Barbaros Erköse on clarinet and the Indian and Turkish percussion stylings of the professor of somber precision, Lassad Hosni, Brahem's oud enters into a dialogue, musically, that has never before existed (though he has collaborated with both players previously). Erköse is a Turkish clarinetist of gypsy origin. His low, warm, rounded tones are consonant with the oud. Erköse plays equal parts music of the Balkan and Arab worlds with a tinge of the ancient klezmorim whispering their secrets through his horn. Despite the journeying these musicians do here, they never stray far from the takht, a small ensemble capable of improvising to the point of drunken ecstasy. Listening through Astrakan Café, you can hear the gypsy flamenco tied deeply to Indian ragas and even a kind of Eastern jazz. But there is no hyperactivity in it, no need to cram as many traditions as possible into one putridly excessive mix that expresses nothing but the novelty of the moment. Astrakan Café has many highlights: its two title tracks that have their roots in Russian and Azerbaijan music; "Ashkabad," which is an improvisation on a melody from the folk music of Turkmenistan; "Astara," a modal improvisation based on love songs from Azerbaijan; "Halfounie," a segment from a Brahem-composed soundtrack inspired by the medina or marketplace in Tunis; and "Parfum de Gitanie," which takes a fragment from Ethiopian sacred music, slows it to the point of stillness, and waxes lazily and jazzily over the top, with the oud and the clarinet trading syncopated eights. This is deeply personal, profound music. It is also highly iconographic, with timelessness woven through every measure. The only "exotica" on Astrakan Café is its "otherness" out of space and any discernable era. The tempos are languid and full of purpose, the dynamics clean and clearly demarcated, the tones and modes warm, rich, and linear. This would be traditional music if a tradition such as this -- which is original, though adapted from many sources on inspiration -- actually existed. Highly recommended .
Thom Jurek
Tracklist & Credits :
Anouar Brahem – Le Pas Du Chat Noir [ECM 1792] 2002
Oud player Brahem has established his own little niche with the instrument; his music, strongly Arab-inflected, has the spare, chamber feel that makes it a perfect fit in the ECM catalog. He's a contemplative player, and this melding with piano and accordion suits his style perfectly, as notes and ideas draw out marvelously. The interplay between musicians is as delicate as lace -- thoughtful, with everyone listening as much as playing. It's a record with many moments of great beauty, like the exquisite piano on "C'est Ailleurs" or the filigree touches between accordion and piano that decorate and nudge along many of the tracks. Brahem is a superb, if reserved, musician, as are his colleagues: Francois Couturier on piano and Jean-Louis Matinier on accordion. Together they trace something exquisite, an experience for the eras and the heart.
Chris Nickson
Tracklist & Credits :
Anouar Brahem – Vague [ECM] 2003
Tracklist + Credits :Anouar Brahem – Le Voyage De Sahar [ECM 1915] 2006
Over the past 15 years, Tunisian oud master Anouar Brahem has assembled a relatively small but profound body of work. A skilled improviser who refuses to be part of the historical authenticity argument, Brahem works from the same trio setting that performed on Le Pas du Chat Noir in 2002, with pianist François Couturier and accordionist Jean-Louis Matinier. The dialogue between these players is, despite the sparseness of the music and the considerable space employed, intense. The deep listening necessary in the improvised sections allows for a natural flow of ideas to emerge from silence. The compositions themselves are skeletal, with repeating, slowly evolving vamps and lyric lines. They offer, on the surface, a contemplative approach, and indeed can be heard that way. However, when dynamics, timbre, and chromatics are listened for, what takes place is rather astonishing. Each player walks to the middle of a composition, steps back and reenters after ideas by the others are introduced, producing a kind of organic improvisation seldom heard. This is not to say that the most structured works here, such as "Vague/E la Nave Va," aren't full of meditative delight as well. They are, and there are vast spaces into which the listener can enter and disappear for a while -- not so much to drift and dream as to be absorbed in their hypnotic and repetitive beauty. "Les Jardins de Ziryab" begins with Matinier's accordion, which is answered by the oud and Brahem's voice, accompanying them both. It unfolds from the center out. "Le Chambre, Var." begins, for this ensemble, at a trot. Couturier's chord voicing and Brahem's percussive approach create a winding musical narrative that Matinier's accordion underscores rhythmically. The keyboard and air pulse create a terrain where intricate melodic lines come out of modal and chromatic tensions. Ultimately, Brahem has given listeners another of his wondrous offerings, full of deceptively simple compositions that open into a secret world, one where beauty is so present that it is nearly unapproachable, and it is up to the listener to fill in the spaces offered them by this remarkable trio.
Thom Jurek
Tracklist & Credits : Anouar Brahem – The Astounding Eyes of Rita (2009) 
Delightful new project, assembled by Tunisian oud master Brahem with
producer Manfred Eicher. Combination of bass clarinet with oud suggests a
link to Anouar’s “Thimar” trio, but this East/West line-up often feels
closer to the more traditionally-inclined sounds of “Barzakh” or “Conte
de l’Incroyable Amour”. Klaus Gesing, from Norma Winstone’s Trio, and
Björn Meyer, from Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin, are both players with an affinity
for musical sources beyond jazz, and they interact persuasively inside
Brahem’s music. A dance of dark, warm sounds, urged onward by the
darbouka and frame drum of Lebanaese percussionist Khaled Yassine. The
album is dedicated to the memory of Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish.
www.ecmrecords.com Anouar Brahem – Souvenance (2014) 2xCD
The music of Souvenance, by turns graceful, hypnotic, and taut and
starkly dramatic, was recorded in 2014 – six years after oud-master
Anouar Brahem’s last ECM album, “The Astounding Eyes of Rita”. “It took a
long time to write this music,” he acknowledges, noting that his
emotional world had been usurped by the unfolding story of political
upheaval sweeping first through Tunisia then through the neighbouring
countries. Extraordinary waves of change, accompanied by great hopes and
fears. “I don’t claim a direct link between my compositions and the
events taking place in Tunisia,” says Anouar, “but I have been
profoundly influenced by them.” New directions for the music find
Francois Couturier returning to the Brahem group, frequently supported
by subtle string orchestration. The strings have a glowing transparency
and fragility in these pieces, often providing shimmering texture
against which the contributions of the quartet members - and, above all,
Anouar Brahem’s unique oud-playing - stand out in bold relief. This
double album was recorded at the Lugano studio in May 2014, and produced
by Manfred Eicher.
www.ecmrecords.com Anouar Brahem – Blue Maqams (2017)
Other than a few cassettes in the 1980s, Tunisian oud master and
composer Anouar Brahem has spent his entire career recording for ECM.
The one exception was his score and soundtrack for the 1994 film Les
Silences du Palais. In 2017, Brahem celebrated his 60th birthday with
Blue Maqams, recorded at Avatar Studios in New York (a first) without
his longstanding quartet of pianist François Couturier, bassist Björn
Meyer, and bass clarinetist Klaus Gesing. With producer Manfred Eicher,
Brahem assembled a band for this special date featuring bassist Dave
Holland (who worked with the oudist on 1994's brilliant Thimar), drummer
Jack DeJohnette (who has a nearly 50-year history with Holland), and
British pianist Django Bates. The album title signifies the union
between the incredibly complex Arabic modal and harmonic system and the
"blue" so often evoked in jazz improvisation. Throughout, Brahem
seamlessly combines the uncommon time signatures, sonic timbres, and
whole-tone textures of Arabic music with the dynamic adventure of jazz
improv. That premise is immediately put forth in the first track,
"Opening Day." Brahem's haunting intro is joined by Holland's resonant
playing inside of a minute, DeJohnette's cymbals increase the tempo, and
Bates eventually transforms a spare modal ballad into an exercise in
swing. The laid-back tom-tom groove DeJohnette establishes on the title
track is an indicator. He's joined by the rest of the rhythm section
before Brahem enters with a tender melody that swings gently. "Bahia" --
on which Bates sits out -- was previously recorded for Jan Garbarek's
Madar. It commences with an oud solo accompanied by Brahem's humming,
and opens onto a full-on jazz trio conversation. The oudist uses the
scalar maqam ballad style as his rhythm section delivers grooving
support in contrast. "Bom Dia Rio" is almost skeletal, while the oud
develops the melody with Brahem's wordless vocalizing in accompaniment.
When his bandmates enter, it twists and turns into a sprightly -- if
moody -- 10/8 groover. On "Persepolis's Mirage," Brahem turns in some of
his knottiest playing before the quartet delivers a processional Arabic
melody augmented with layers of rhythmic invention. Bates adds fills
from his instrument's lower and middle registers, providing weight and
texture, but it's Brahem's meaty playing that ultimately shines. "The
Recovered Road to Al-Sham" is an oud/piano duet that brilliantly
juxtaposes Western chamber and Arabic classical music. "Unexpected
Outcome" offers a moody lyric mode from Holland and Brahem before
cracking open into an 11-minute, full-blown quartet jazz jam. There are
excellent solos from each member and plenty of blue accents. Bates'
elliptical chordal statements and fills add an elegant flourish in a
closing statement to both the track and the album. Blue Maqams is
lovely. It's a nearly perfect illustration of balance between cultural
and musical inquiry, underscored by the confidence and near symbiotic
communication of this gifted ensemble. This is an exceptional outing,
even for an artist as accomplished and creative as Brahem.
Thom Jurek 
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