RABIH ABOU-KHALIL - Al-Jadida (1991) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Rabih Abou-Khalil, among the rare Arabic musicians who have recorded and played extensively with jazz musicians, successfully navigates the middle ground between traditional North African sounds and hard bop. Besides the leader's oud and flute, alto saxophonist Sonny Fortune provides the blues bite; bassist Glen Moore, the rhythmic connection, and percussionists Ramesh Shotham and Nabil Khaiat, provide the African seasoning. by Ron Wynn
Tracklist :
1 Catania 7:41
Rabih Abou-Khalil
2 Nashwa 9:33
Rabih Abou-Khalil
3 An Evening With Jerry 6:59
Rabih Abou-Khalil
4 When The Lights Go Out 7:14
Rabih Abou-Khalil
5 Storyteller 8:52
Rabih Abou-Khalil
6 Ornette Never Sleeps 4:01
Rabih Abou-Khalil
7 Nadim 8:29
Rabih Abou-Khalil
8 Wishing Well 5:25
Rabih Abou-Khalil
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Sonny Fortune
Bass – Glen Moore
Drums [South Indian], Percussion – Ramesh Shotham
Frame Drum [Frame Drums], Percussion – Nabil Khaiat
Oud – Rabih Abou-Khalil

RABIH ABOU-KHALIL - Blue Camel (1992) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Blue Camel is the pinnacle to date of Lebanese oud player Rabih Abou-Khalil's achievement as a jazzman. In both mood and scope, it can almost be characterized as a new Kind of Blue. Both tense and reflective, it is perfect for listening after midnight. Abou-Khalil brings back Charlie Mariano on alto sax and Kenny Wheeler on flügelhorn and trumpet, and they generally alternate solos with Abou-Khalil himself. Rounding out the roster is Steve Swallow on bass, Milton Cardona on congos, Nabil Khaiat on frame drums, and Ramesh Shotham on South Indian drums and percussion. They form a tight ensemble and play comfortably with each other. The album opens with "Sahara," which contains both one of Abou-Khalil's tunes, a mesmerizing melody that could be either Arabic or jazz, and one of Abou-Khalil's best solos, a well-defined interlude that delightfully features the unique timbre of the oud. "Tsarka" begins with a fast break on the oud that turns out to be one of the two motifs on which everything is built. After it is elaborated for a few bars, the oud comes back with another building block. Then we get some stunning improvisations, especially from Abou-Khalil. "Ziriab" opens with a trumpet solo in which Kenny Wheeler tests the compass of his instrument, backed up with some atmospheric sounds from the udu drum; then Abou-Khalil enters with another great tune for everyone to build on. The title track is nothing but fun. Seductive percussion ushers in Wheeler and Mariano playing in unison for a tune that is somewhere between Duke Ellington and the court of Baghdad. As the percussion bubbles along, Milton Cardona's congos adding a Latin flavor to the proceedings, Abou-Khalil steps up with a very fast and rhythmic, if not very tuneful, solo. Midway through the track, Mariano blisters the paint with a screeching sax workout that bridges the Arabic and the Latin, while remaining all the while pure jazz. Even Steve Swallow gets a chance to feature his bass after which the ensemble brings it together and takes it home. Some of the other tracks are not as good as the ones mentioned above, but they are all listenable and very atmospheric. The aptly named "A Night in the Mountains" is a slow, thoughtful walk, perfect for silent contemplation. The album ends with "Beirut," named for the Lebanese city torn by civil war from which Abou-Khalil had to flee many years ago. The track begins with a quiet oud solo and then builds to something more chaotic and striving. Blue Camel may not be a perfect album, but it demonstrates better than any other that a fusion between jazz and a musical form from another culture is possible and can work to the advantage of both. Plus, it's just great listening. by Kurt Keefner  
Tracklist :
1    Sahara    8:18
Rabih Abou-Khalil
2    Tsarka    6:45
Rabih Abou-Khalil
3    Ziriab    6:49
Rabih Abou-Khalil
4    Blue Camel    8:20
Rabih Abou-Khalil
5    On Time    6:19
Rabih Abou-Khalil
6    A Night In The Mountains    8:37
Rabih Abou-Khalil
7    Rabou-Abou-Kabou    4:47
Rabih Abou-Khalil
8    Beirut    10:52
Rabih Abou-Khalil
Credits :    
Alto Saxophone – Charlie "Sir Charles" Mariano
Artwork [Cover Art], Calligraphy – Georges Ghantous
Bass – Steve "Dr. Zvalov" Swallow*
Congas – Milton Cardona
Drums [South Indian], Percussion – Ramesh Shotham
Flugelhorn, Trumpet – Kenny Wheeler
Frame Drum – Nabil Khaiat
Oud, Producer, Design [Cover Design] – Rabih Abou-Khalil

RABIH ABOU-KHALIL - Between Dusk and Dawn (1993) APE (image+.cue), lossless

One of Rabih Abou-Khalil's earlier albums, Between Dusk and Dawn features stellar sidemen such as master percussionist Glen Velez and jazz saxophonist Charlie Mariano. In places it exhibits that ecstatic melding of jazz and Arabic music that was later perfected on Blue Camel. But in other places it gives us long patches of noodling and less-then-engaging playfulness. An example of the former would be the first track, "Dusk." At just over 14 minutes, more than half of this piece is devoted to a shapeless and tiresome prelude for percussion and oud (Arabic lute). An example of the latter is the aptly named "The Thing That Came Out of the Swamp," which features everything but the kitchen sink, including Glen Velez's overtone singing, in a fantasy that sounds like Stravinsky crossed with Steve Reich. Yet there are solid, jazzy tracks like "Chess with Mal" which opens with a long but well-formed solo by Charlie Mariano before sax and oud synchronize for one of Abou-Khalil's gloriously rhythmic tunes. Or "Dawn," where Abou-Khalil plays one of his favorite tricks of making it sound as if the melody of the piece grows out of his initial improvisation. Despite the album's lack of overall focus, it does offer a bounty for the ear, especially in the percussion. A disc for fans of one or more of the musicians involved. by Kurt Keefner  
Tracklist:
1    Dusk    14:15
Rabih Abou-Khalil
2    Bat Dance    5:32
Rabih Abou-Khalil
3    Nightfall 6:38
Rabih Abou-Khalil
Flute – Rabih Abou-Khalil
4    Ugo In Love    3:46
Rabih Abou-Khalil
5    Chess With Mal    7:32
Rabih Abou-Khalil
6    The Thing That Came Out Of The Swamp 4:10
Composed By – Armann, Abou-Khalil
Flute – Rabih Abou-Khalil
Marimba – Christian Burchard
Overtone Voice [Overtone Singing] – Glen Velez
Piano – Michael Armann
7    Dawn    5:51
Rabih Abou-Khalil
8    And Finally ... The Oasis    6:53
Rabih Abou-Khalil
Credits:
Bass, Arranged By – Glen Moore
Frame Drum [Middle Eastern Frame Drums], Bodhrán [Bodhran (Irish Frame Drum)], Goblet Drum [Darbukka], Percussion, Arranged By – Glen Velez
Oud, Composed By, Arranged By, Producer, Photography [Cover And Layout] – Rabih Abou-Khalil
Percussion [South Indian Percussion], Thavil [Tavil], Ghatam, Jew's Harp [Mouth Harp], Dholak, Kanjira, Percussion, Arranged By – Ramesh Shotham
Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Arranged By – Charlie Mariano

RABIH ABOU-KHALIL - Bukra (1989) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Tracklist:
1    Fortune Seeker    4:52
Rabih Abou-Khalil
2    Bukra    7:58
Rabih Abou-Khalil
3    Kibbe    8:16
Rabih Abou-Khalil
4    Remember... The Desert 7:10
Rabih Abou-Khalil
Overtone Voice – Glen Velez
5    Nayla    9:24
Rabih Abou-Khalil
6    Time    4:25
Rabih Abou-Khalil
7    Reflections    8:05
Rabih Abou-Khalil
Credits:
Alto Saxophone – Sonny Fortune
Artwork [Cover Art], Calligraphy – Georges Ghantous
Bass – Glen Moore
Drums [South Indian], Percussion – Ramesh Shotham
Frame Drum, Percussion – Glen Velez
 Oud, Producer, Design [Cover Design] – Rabih Abou-Khalil

RABIH ABOU-KHALIL - Tarab (1993) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Tarab is an unusual album for the great Lebanese jazz composer and oud player in that it features no Western instruments or musicians, except for Glen Moore on the acoustic bass. The melody instruments are the nay (Arabic flute) played by the Syrian veteran Selim Kusur and, as always, Abou-Khalil on oud or Arabic lute (which more or less functions like the piano in a standard jazz quartet). Rounding out the group are Nabil Khaiat on frame drums and percussion, and Rameesh Shotham on South Indian drums and other percussion. Everyone but Kusur has worked at least semi-regularly with Abou-Khalil. (Kusur did play on Abou-Khalil's Roots & Sprouts, an earlier instance of an album with no Western instruments.) The lack of Western instrumentalists gives Tarab a less jazzy, more Arabic feeling than Abou-Khalil's other albums. Abou-Khalil builds his albums around his guest instrumentalists, so Tarab features the nay prominently, but even more, this is an album for the oud and for showing off the rhythm section. For example, on "In Search of the Well" there is actually a bass solo. And there are a few other pleasant surprises scattered throughout the album. On "Awakening," someone -- just who is not credited -- lets forth a string of bol singing, that rapid-fire, tongue-twisting Indian chant made famous in the West by Sheila Chandra. And on "Arabian Waltz," a jaw harp appears out of the blue , presumably played by Shotham, who plays it on Between Dusk and Dawn, accenting the fast-paced original version of what later became the more lush title track of the album Arabian Waltz. This last song is especially welcome for its strong melody, standing out on an album that certainly does not lack for atmosphere, but which would have benefited from greater tunefulness. Still, a very worthy effort, though not the best place to start one's Rabih Abou-Khalil collection, especially if one is coming from a jazz background. by Kurt Keefner
Tracklist:
1 Bushman in the Desert 8:00
Rabih Abou-Khalil
2 After Dinner 5:53  
Rabih Abou-Khalil
3 Awakening 8:06
Rabih Abou-Khalil / Erik Berglund
4 Haneen Wa Hanaan 8:07
Rabih Abou-Khalil
5 Lost Centuries 7:10
Rabih Abou-Khalil
6 In Search of the Well 3:37
Rabih Abou-Khalil
7 Orange Fields 9:38
Rabih Abou-Khalil
8 A Tooth Lost 5:20
Rabih Abou-Khalil
9 Arabian Waltz 5:00
Rabih Abou-Khalil
Credits:
Bass – Glen Moore
Oud, Cover [Cover Design], Design [Cover Design] – Rabih Abou-Khalil
Drums [South Indian Drums], Percussion, Jew's Harp [Mouth Harp] – Ramesh Shotham
Frame Drum [Frame Drums], Percussion – Nabil Khaiat
Ney [Nay] – Selim Kusur