Orelsan Sama

The World Arbiter label presents 1941 recordings of the Kokusai Bunka Shinkokai – masters of the shamisen. An extensive anthology of traditional Japanese music was created sometime around 1941-1942 by the Kokusai Bunka Shinkôkai (KBS), International Organization for the Promotion of Culture. KBS was established under the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1934 for cultural exchange between Japan and foreign countries, representing genres such as gagaku (court music), shômyô (Buddhist chants), nô (Noh medieval theater play), heikyoku (biwa-lute narratives of battles), shakuhachi (bamboo flute music), koto (long zither music), shamisen (three-stringed lute music), sairei bayashi (instrumental music for folk festivals), komori-uta (cradle songs, lullabies), warabe-uta (children songs), and riyou (min'you) (folk songs). Considering that 1941-1942 was a most daunting time for Japan's economy and international relationships with Asian and Western countries, it is remarkable that this excellent anthology of Japanese music was ever completed and published, as it contains judiciously selected pieces from various genres performed by top-level artists at that time.

Aleppian Sufi Trance observes each of these traditions, and listeners hearing this music will likely have the sense of having entered a sacred space. Building on subtle, pulsing rhythms and winding flute melodies, the music increases in intensity until it reaches shuddering, climactic crescendos. In addition to the spiritually charged music, the excellent sound quality, sophisticated packaging, and informative liner notes make this Ensemble Al Kindi recording a must-have for fans of Sufi, world, and meditation music.

This is a prominent and engaging attempt to reconstruct the Andalusí-Magrebi music of the Arabic era in Spain. Of course, beyond its intrinsic musical merits, this is an illustrative repertory with interesting implications for the later Spanish & Provençal repertory.

Prior to the arrival of Keyrouz, Western scholars and listeners alike hadn't paid much heed to Middle Eastern Christian chant, perhaps owing to its obscurity and strongly Arabic flavor. Chant Byzantin pretty much took the West by surprise upon its arrival in 1989, not only with the apparently ancient repertoire it represents, but also due to Keyrouz's own incredible virtuosity; her ability to sing the tiniest intervals in rapid flourishes, notes that are difficult for most singers to hear, let alone sing. Keyrouz's voice is a fabulous instrument that has a universal appeal.