Rabih Abou-Khalil - Cactus of Knowledge (Main Movie & Xtras)

1. Fraises Et Creme Fraiche 2. Lewinsky March 3. Business As Usual 4. Got To Go Home 5. Oum Said 6. Ma Muse M'Amuse 7. Lewinsky March (Live) Rabih Abou-Khalil: oud, composition Eddie Allen: trumpet Dave Ballou: trumpet Gabriele Mirabassi: clarinet Antonio Hart: alto saxophone Ellery Eskelin: tenor saxophone Tom Varner: french horn Dave Bargeron: euphonium Michel Godard: tuba Vincent Courtois: cello Jarrod Cagwin: drums Nabil Khaiat: mizhar, riq

A big band led by an oud (11-string forefather of the lute) virtuoso and musical visionary exiled from Lebanon, who keenly studied classical and jazz in Europe. Khalil's music is a very exotic and convincing hybrid of the improvisational and 'swinging' tendencies of jazz and Arabic music, and an elaborate approach to structural development and arranging more commonly associated with classical music. In this respect he reminds me a little of the Mingus and latter day Holland approach to big-band jazz (apart from the Arabic elements, of course), except that the music on this disc is more delicate and more densely textured. The closest comparison that comes to mind in terms of mood and eastern aesthetics are the more obviously Klezmer influenced parts of Masada's "Tet" (the only Masada album I own). However, here there is virtually no dissonance and free-style soloing (which I love for its own sake). This is much more focused music, more thematically developed and replete with immaculately placed nuances. It is also more consistently engaging. The rhythmic wealth of this album should be a particular attraction. Apart from some beautifully subdued delights, there is constantly a firm but not overbearing rhythmic drive, which is highly syncopated but relentlessly groovy, while being overlaid with subtly varying percussive intricacies that add depth to the general theme/feel of each composition rather than detract from it. The discipline of all the players, including the leader, might cause some less attentive listeners to overlook how highly skilled they are. That does not matter too much as this music can be enjoyed at a party or as a work/study background just as much as it can when you let it completely absorb you or when you try to analyze it. Also, for those particularly keen on strummed string instruments, I quote the Penguin Guide to Jazz description of Khalil's oud playing as "fleet and rhythmic as that of any jazz guitarist." The attention afforded to the tone qualities of each instrument (oud, cello, two trumpets, euphonium, French horn, tuba, clarinet, alto and tenor saxes, frame drums, and drums), including the way the instruments complement each other in this respect is awe-inspiring. This DVD followed upon the exit of CD of the same name. One finds there six of the pieces of The Cactus Of Knowledge of the Lebanese player of oud, as well as a version recorded in public of “The Levinsky March”. Obviously, all the musicians whom it brought together, Lebanese (Rabih Abou-Khalil), Europeans (Vincent Courtois, Michel Godard) or American (Antonio Hart, Ellery Eskelin) want to offer to the type-setter best themselves. Many interviews, except that of the Master, probably too modest, testify to the complicity which reigns within this formation on the road.

Get it! Enjoy!