Track Listing

1. Sur Le Fleuve
2. Le Voyage De Sahar
3. L'Aube
4. Vague/E La Nave Va
5. Les Jardins De Ziryab
6. Nuba
7. La Chambre
8. Cordoba
9. Halfaouine
10. La Chambre Var
11. Zarabanda
12. Ete Andalous
13. Vague Var

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6117 in Music
• Released on: 2006-02-27
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .23 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
Over the past fifteen years, the Tunisian oud-master Anouar Brahem has made a number of wide-ranging, culture-bridging and richly rewarding albums for ECM, including two (very different) collaborations with saxophonists Jan Garbarek and John Surman. The spare, gently unfolding and intensely atmospheric melodies and moods of the rhythmically seductive Le Voyage De Sahar develop further that subtle confluence of Arabic modes and European harmony which was evident on Brahem’s previous meeting (on the critically praised 2002 release Le Pas Du Chat Noir) with French accordionist Jean-Louis Matinier and his compatriot, pianist Francois Couturier. The trio have developed their coolly conceived, yet passionate three-way improvisation to a high art, interpreting the limpid melodies, unhurried rhythms and dappled textures of this multi-sourced, freshly conceived chamber music with playing of the highest (yet unforced) order. With its suite-like sequence of numbers, rich in reverie, and subtly evocative cover art, this enchanting hour or so of music comes over as a film-like invitation to voyage, conjured by a poetic vision part North African, part central European, and where the spirit of Debussy and Satie can at times appear to walk hand in hand with that of the flamenco masters of old. Listen with open ears - and dream well! --Michael Tucker

Manchester Evening News, (Tim Stenhouse), May 26, 2006
(5 stars) An evocative musical journey...the work of a master musician at the peak of his creativity.

Jazzwise, (Duncan Heining), March, 2006
(4 stars) Probably Brahem's finest album to date...there are so many glorious moments...wonderfully evocative music.

Customer Reviews

Evocative and enchanting
I read a review of this in Acoustic Guitar magazine and was intrigued enough to buy the CD. I found myself listening to it again and again, having it on whilst doing other stuff around the house, or sat in the office tip-tapping away on my PC. There is something enchanting about the music and it instils a sense of calm. The sound of the accordion is wonderful and the fusion of oud, accordion and piano is sublime.

To some extent, the music seems non-descript, and I don't mean that in a bad way. Like dissecting a work of 19th century Russian literature (which I had to do at university - ugh!), it seems to detract from the overall feel if one tries to describe the album. Better just to sit back and listen to it and let it evoke the images that will surely flow.

I am a musician myself (I play steel-string acoustic guitar) and am versed in the basics of western music theory. Perhaps that goes some way to explaining why I like this CD so much; it seems to go against the familiar structure of western music and so takes me somewhere that I've never been before. But at the end of the day, the "why" doesn't really matter at all.

It brings to mind the work of Yann Tiersen, particularly the soundtrack to Amélie. It also makes me think a little of some of Pierre Bensusan's compositions for acoustic guitar, which is perhaps why the review was in an acoustic guitar magazine.

It would be a perfect CD to listen to whilst sitting on a train watching the scenery pass by.

Definitely one of my CDs of the year!

spellbinding
Anouar continues to surprise and delight me. Who would have thought that piano & accordion would make such a successful accompaniment to the oud. Well, it does work and quite beautifully too. It is so completely different to Anouar's landmark 'Thimar', yet features among my favourites.