RABIH ABOU-KHALIL - The Cactus of Knowledge (2001) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Rabih Abou-Khalil's ninth Enja release features one of his most expansive lineups to date -- 12 pieces in all, including oud, brass, woodwinds, cello, and percussion. It's quite a departure from 1999's austere Yara. Here the tempos are bright, the unison lines darting and difficult, the improv heated, the tonal combinations ever-changing. Heavy-hitting jazzers dominate the band roster, including Dave Ballou and Eddie Allen on trumpets, Tom Varner on French horn, Dave Bargeron on euphonium, Antonio Hart on alto sax, and Ellery Eskelin on tenor sax. Gabriele Mirabassi's clarinet gives the music an almost klezmer-like sound at times (a tantalizing instance of Jewish-Arab reconciliation). The gorgeous booklet includes a prose poem by Gamal Ghitany (printed in English, French, and Arabic), as well as a series of campy band portraits and a full transcription of track number five, "Oum Saïd." Looking over the score, one gets some sense of the rhythmic complexity Abou-Khalil is dealing with (try counting in 6+5+5+3/16, for instance). by David R. Adler
Tracklist 1 :
1    The Lewinsky March    5:25
Rabih Abou-Khalil
2    Business As Usual    6:23
Rabih Abou-Khalil
3    Fraises Et Creme Fraiche    9:53
Rabih Abou-Khalil
4    Got To Go Home    8:51
Rabih Abou-Khalil
5    Oum Saïd    10:36
Rabih Abou-Khalil
6    Maltese Chicken Farm    9:36
Rabih Abou-Khalil
7    Ma Muse M'amuse    9:37
Rabih Abou-Khalil
8    Pont Neuf    5:41
 Rabih Abou-Khalil
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Antonio Hart
Calligraphy – Georges Ghantous
Cello – Vincent Courtois
Drums – Jarrod Cagwin
Euphonium – Dave Bargeron
Frame Drum – Nabil Khaiat
French Horn – Tom Varner
Oud, Producer, Arranged By – Rabih Abou-Khalil
Tenor Saxophone – Ellery Eskelin
Trumpet – Dave Ballou, Eddie Allen
Tuba – Michel Godard

RABIH ABOU-KHALIL - Trouble in Jerusalem (2010) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

It is always very exciting to hear classical music composed by artists outside of Western cultures and to hear what non-Western influences, folk melodies, and instruments they might use. However, good music is good music anywhere, just as unexciting music is unexciting music. This album, unfortunately, is not so exciting and does not live up to its potential. Played by the German Youth Orchestra (BJO) along with composer Rabih Abou-Khalil on the oud and two other soloists, the music seems to neither move nor be adequately programmatic. The album was composed as a modern soundtrack to a 1922 classic film called Nathan the Wise, which would suggest that the music would tell the story of the film in a clear manner, perhaps with a more distinct sense of motifs than one hears here. The CD opens with Jerusalem, which begins with an odd-sounding unison that precedes the oud, but the piece does not move. The string lines, which lack vibrato, could be more lush and sweeping (a characteristic one naturally might expect of string music from the Middle East). Though the oud's line is interspersed with orchestral passages, the music still feels dull and hovering. This sense of stagnation continues through various pieces on the album, even in the ending called "A Prayer for Tolerance." "Lament" is more interesting to listen to, as a brass solo as well as violin and cello solos showcase some of the best musicians in the orchestra. "Gerusalemme Liberata" has more musical drama when the brass enters and there is more texture in the strings. However, it feels random and lacking in motion, with fragments repeated. Perhaps the most interesting movement is "Once Upon a Dervish," where the use of percussion enlivens the piece. Abou-Khalil makes better use of orchestral colors here, which leads one to ask why he did not choose to do this in the previous movements. Once again, the solo violin plays nicely, and the strings have texture. Yet overall, the music does not come alive due to the combination of the music itself (with a heavy use of unisons, even taking cultural differences into account) and an orchestra that is not experienced enough to give the music more shape. This is by no means a criticism of younger musicians or youth orchestras, for there are plenty who are professional-caliber at a young age. Trouble in Jerusalem just does not make for an inviting musical experience. by V. Vasan  
Tracklist 1 :
1    Jerusalem    8:50
Rabih Abou-Khalil
2    Lament    10:24
Rabih Abou-Khalil
3    Gerusalemme Liberata    12:08
Rabih Abou-Khalil
4    Once Upon A Dervish    12:07
Rabih Abou-Khalil
5    Saladin And Nathan The Wise    7:29
Rabih Abou-Khalil
6    A Prayer For Tolerance    2:19
Rabih Abou-Khalil
Credits :
Cello, Soloist – Sophie Notte
Conductor [Orchestra] – Frank Strobel
Frame Drum [Frame Drums] – Jarrod Cagwin
Orchestra – The German Youth Orchestra (BJO)
Oud – Rabih Abou-Khalil
Tuba, Serpent – Michel Godard
Viola, Soloist – Sarina Zickgraf
Violin, Soloist – Tobias Feldmann