Ayn Trio

Basel Zayed
Basel Zayed
World | Feb 2019

Reviews

Ramzi Salti
Reviewed 2019-02-02
Album: Ayn Trio (2018)
Artist: Basel Zayed
Reviewed by Ramzi S.
Composer Basel Zayed creates a modern interpretation of Mediterranean music, fused with elements from Western classical, jazz and contemporary music. The trio on this CD consists of Basel Zayed (vocals, oud & Buzuq), Naseem Al- Altrash (cello) and Layth Sidiq (violin).
Recommended Tracks (#8 for instrumental; #7 with vocals)
FCcs: None
1. Violence (4:10) (oud, buzuq, vocals) is a jagged weave of melody and history, setting the stage for a human drama.
2. Samaa’I Nahawand (7:37) resolves the tensions established in “Violence,” linking one dreamlike flow to another.
3. I see in the Heavens (3:55) Based on poem by Amer Badran. Zayed’s arrangement places a stethoscope over Badran’s symbolic heartbeat and reveals the truth of its song.
4. City (4:36) shifts our point of view from rural to urban, yet without losing the innocence so brilliantly set by the album’s beginnings.
5. Checkpoint (4:03) moves with a buoyant caution than can be taken either as a literal or figurative border crossing.
6. Waiting (6:14) feels like a continuation of the story.
7. I’ve known love (7:30) echoes the sentiments of Sufi poets Raabi’a Al-’Adawiyya and Al-Hallaaj
8. Of Great Importance (4:17) draws a line from without to within from a seemingly bottomless inkwell.
9. Farah (3:14) By using the Maqam Hijaz scale normally associated with sadness, Zayed shows that joy is a very subjective matter.

Recent airplay

Samaa'i Nahawand
Audio AmbrosiaApr 06, 2019
I've Known Love
Music CasseroleApr 06, 2019
Farah
audio ambrosiaMar 28, 2019
Farah
Cafe NakhilMar 28, 2019
I've Known Love
the Acupuncture HourMar 23, 2019
I See In The Heavens
Hanging in the Bone YardMar 21, 2019

Charting

2019-02-07 — 2019-04-11 Reggae/World
Week EndingAirplays
Apr 7 2
Mar 31 2
Mar 24 2
Mar 10 1
Mar 3 1
Feb 17 1
Feb 10 1

Track listing

1. Violence
2. Samaa'i Nahawand
3. I See In The Heavens
4. City
5. Checkpoint
6. Waiting
7. I've Known Love
8. Of Great Importance
9. Farah