Berberian

Catherine Anahid Berberian (July 4, 1925 – March 6, 1983) was an American soprano and composer. She interpreted contemporary avant-garde music composed, among others, by Luciano Berio, Bruno Maderna, John Cage, Henri Pousseur, Sylvano Bussotti, Darius Milhaud, Roman Haubenstock-Ramati, and Igor Stravinsky. She also interpreted works by Claudio Monteverdi, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Kurt Weill, Philipp Zu Eulenburg, arrangements of songs by The Beatles, and folk songs from several countries and cultures. As a composer, she wrote Stripsody (1966), in which she exploits her vocal technique using comic book sounds (onomatopoeia), and Morsicat(h)y (1969), a composition for the keyboard (with the right hand only) based on Morse code.

Long before there was any such thing as "World Music", John Berberian was experimenting in his native New York City, both within the traditional Armenian music community, and with Folk, Rock and Jazz musicians who admired his oud artistry. This little-known gem, unsympathetically packaged as almost some kind of old-school belly-dance meets raga rock record, is in fact a masterpiece of the highest order. Full of multi-percussive grooves on drums and dumbeg, searing solos from fuzz guitars and of course, John on the oud.