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Faraway Sounds |
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Master of The Arabian Flute , Mohamed Naiem and Taiko To Tabla, Joji Hirota and Pete Lockett, Arc Music/Musicrama
That is the case with Egypt, whose policy against gays, as seen in GayToday recently, outrages the world, specially those of us who have a firm belief that one's personal choices are their own business - and I must say that I totally abhor what the Egyptian government has been doing to their gay citizens. It must be noted, however, the music played by Egyptian musicians is amazing, and contemporary performers have been showing the world that the sound they make can be appreciated internationally, as we listen to Egyptian-born Mohamed Naiem's Master of The Arabian Flute, which will be available early in April here. The songs in this album blend modern and traditional elements, cleverly arranged by producer Hossam Ramzy (another Egyptian musician who also plays several instruments in the CD). While there are tablas and other traditional percussive elements, one can also hear modern ones, such as keyboards, electric bass guitars and others in the songs, which are all instrumental. There isn't a dud whatsoever on this CD. Higlights include El-Fagr(Dawn), Monahagah(Prayer) and the beautiful Farah(Happiness and celebration), that includes a beautifully played piano(performed by Osama El Handy) that at times resembles the style of composer James Horner(Titanic) and the very jazzy Fantasia, a song that best makes the East-West blend of the album evident. Master of The Arabian Flute is a very relaxing but also a musically rich album that this reviewer wholeheartedly recommends. Pete Lockett (from England) is an immensely versatile percussionist who has worked with several internationally-known performers, namely Jeff Beck, Robert Plant, Peter Gabriel and many others.
On Taiko To Tabla, he teams with Japanese-born WOMAD musician Joji Hirota (also a percussionist) for an exploration of percussive sounds that mixes all kinds of influences with which both musicians have worked.The songs on the CD are quite interesting. Both percussionists do their best to use various instruments throughout the songs, such as Indian tablas and Japanese drums, and they mix that with discrete keyboards, flutes and the like. I couldn't really care for Kokiriko-Bushi, a traditional Japanese song. Joji Hirota sings the lament-filled vocals, and the track just drones on forever.
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Japanese musician Joji Hirota 
Drummer Pete Lockett can be heard on Taiko To Tabla with Joji Hirota © 1997-2008 BEI
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