MARAKEB

Marakeb (Ships) is the musical diary of a collaborative musical journey between the Beirut-born oud master Marwan Abado and Austrian composer/percussionist Peter Rosmanith, known for his work with Otto Lechner, Klaus Trabitsch, and Liederlich Spielleut, among others. Abado released numerous recordings on the Extraplatte label during the '90s, and Marakeb is one of his strongest releases of the decade. Here he is aided by the extraordinary musicianship of Rosmanith, vocalist Timna Brauer, and Otto Lechner on accordion, as well as avant-garde musicians Franz Hautzinger on trumpet and bassist Reinhard Ziegerhofer. The duo co-composed this striking and eclectic fusion of traditionally inspired music that draws on Arabic modes and rhythms, folk songs, and highly accomplished jazz musicianship. What results is one of the more interesting and tasteful albums of the world music phenomenon, in that the fusion between European avant-garde jazz and Arabic traditional music succeeds through both approaches sharing a willingness to explore open-ended and free harmonic, rhythmic, and melodic forms. The results of Marakeb are elating, inspired in some moments and simply startling in others.