Little Earth

Iraqi oud with Western instruments & musicians playing maquam (modal system used in Classical Arabic music). Rahim Alhaj was imprisoned by Saddam for one song of resistance that was sung all over Iraq. In prison for two years he fled to Syria (all of his ouds were taken away) then on to live in New Mexico.
DISC #1; ***1: 4:09 slow, Mid East string quartet with frame drum
****2: 7:18 slow, cello, fantastic accordion & oud playing, frame drum.
***3: 3:17 solo oud with overdubbing, slow sailors song about yearning.
****4: 10:09 upbeat bowed strings with Bill Frisell on guitar & Eyvind Kang viola
5: 5:25 slow kora & oud.beautiful plucked strings
****6: 9:08 oud & sitar, slow & meditative but WOW!
***7: 7:30 real slow,vocals by Maria de Barros from Cape Verde, sad song with oud
***8: 9:59 oud with frame drum ( Glen Valez), mid to faster

DISC #2 ***1: 9:50 oud with four guitars. mid to faster
****2: 7:44 4 movement s, first very slow bowed strings, second with percussion & oud & strings. Third is solo oud. Fourth is percussion & dance rhythm.
**3: 4:26 Peter buck of REM on guitar, mid tempo, great guitar. oud and strings.
***4: 9:49 Robert Mirabel, vocals/chant, Native American water stick, flute with oud. a lullaby, real slow.
****5: 11:19 Chinese p'ip'a (fretted lute), the oud in a Chinese scale then maquam. slow, but again WOW!
****6: 10:26 Stephen Kent on a very guttural didjeridu ( it is a very sad story behind this song. With oud. again WOW! what a combination especially towards the end.
****7: 8:54 ney ( an end blown flute), very cool flute sound with frame drum & oud, fast. D  Farrell 10/2010