The Iraqi installment of Celestial Harmonies' Music of Islam series. As circumstances stood, an album of music recorded in Iraq proper was impossible given the problems with entering the country for the recording team. Instead, they managed to find a pair of Iraqi expatriate musicians residing in Qatar who were happy to make a recording. Mohammed Saleh is an outstanding ud player and a graduate of Baghdad University, as was percussionist Haitham Hasan. The music is relatively simple in instrumentation, but rather complex in ...
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The Iraqi installment of Celestial Harmonies' Music of Islam series. As circumstances stood, an album of music recorded in Iraq proper was impossible given the problems with entering the country for the recording team. Instead, they managed to find a pair of Iraqi expatriate musicians residing in Qatar who were happy to make a recording. Mohammed Saleh is an outstanding ud player and a graduate of Baghdad University, as was percussionist Haitham Hasan. The music is relatively simple in instrumentation, but rather complex in performance, as most good ud music is. Despite the obvious cultural/historical losses stemming from not making the recording in Basra as originally intended, this album is a stunning work. Saleh's ability is made clear by both the range of maqams he is capable of and the amount of capability he displays within each performance. While Iraqi music is relatively hard to come by in general, this album is quite accessible, and the extremely comprehensive liner notes make it a worthwhile short study for the intrepid listener unfamiliar with the music and the culture behind it. Pick it up, along with the rest of the series, for a nice look into a music culture from the cradle of civilization that's often overshadowed by the political happenings of the region. ~ Adam Greenberg, Rovi
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