Alan Shavarsh Bardezbanian: Oud Masterpieces (Arc/Elite)

 |   |  <1 min read

Alan Shavarsh Bardezbanian: Sevan Tsgnorsner
Alan Shavarsh Bardezbanian: Oud Masterpieces (Arc/Elite)

The oud -- a Middle Eastern ancestor of the European lute -- has an earthy but elevating sound and is heard from Egypt to Armenia, and in Massachusetts where Bardezbanian lives. While a student of composition at Berklee in Boston, he held down a gig playing in a Greek taverna, which accounts for the broad reach of this album: from his Armenian heritage to Greece, Bulgaria to Turkey.

The upbeat tracks sound like the prelude to some serious plate-smashing, but the real gems are the more brooding numbers and the romantic songs.

Share It

Your Comments

post a comment

More from this section   World Music from Elsewhere articles index

Rob: Make It Fast, Make It Slow (Soundway)

Rob: Make It Fast, Make It Slow (Soundway)

In a reproduction of what must have been the original cheap cover, this minimal and curiously religious/sexual album by Rob from Ghana has all the look -- and resonance -- of a rare reggae album... > Read more

Rokia Traore, Ne So (Nonesuch)

Rokia Traore, Ne So (Nonesuch)

As Elsewhere has previously noted, the nation of Mali which was a hotbed for talent two decades ago has fallen into harder, political times in recent years. There has been a military coup, the... > Read more

Elsewhere at Elsewhere

Nick Granville Group: Refractions (Rattle Jazz)

Nick Granville Group: Refractions (Rattle Jazz)

Some months ago New Zealand guitarist Nick Granville answered our Famous Elsewhere Jazz Questionnaire on the strength of what was then his forthcoming album Refractions. Well, that album has... > Read more

Lou Reed: Berlin (1973)

Lou Reed: Berlin (1973)

Right from the beginning -- aside from a short period as a jobbing songwriter for the Pickwick label in ‘64-’65 -- Lou Reed’s lyrics had a literary quality. With the Velvet... > Read more