From the surprisingly good and comprehensive series of Islamic music on Celestial Harmonies comes this volume, dealing with mystic musics of Islam, primarily that of the Sufis, and moreover that of Turkey to a large extent. The performers are the Galata Mevlevi house, led by Nail Kesova, also available on volume nine of the series (Whirling Dervishes). The playing is impeccable, with a trio of ney players providing the breathy sound that is so necessary for a good bit of Sufi music. The vocals are also perfectly in place, ...
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From the surprisingly good and comprehensive series of Islamic music on Celestial Harmonies comes this volume, dealing with mystic musics of Islam, primarily that of the Sufis, and moreover that of Turkey to a large extent. The performers are the Galata Mevlevi house, led by Nail Kesova, also available on volume nine of the series (Whirling Dervishes). The playing is impeccable, with a trio of ney players providing the breathy sound that is so necessary for a good bit of Sufi music. The vocals are also perfectly in place, with an outstanding performance by Kesova. Songs are largely works of poetry, with three from the great Rumi, and a number from other mystics through the ages (as the title would suggest). For a nice look through all aspects of Islamic music, this series is probably the way to go. For a simple look into the Sufist traditions, this album fits right in competition with a number of other ones, but the quality of music here might give it a bit of an edge. ~ Adam Greenberg, Rovi
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