Track Listing

1. Sull Lull
2. Madar
3. Sebika
4. Bahia
5. Ramy
6. Jaw
7. Joron
8. Qaws
9. Epilogue

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #37393 in Music
• Released on: 1994-02-28
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

CD Description
Yet more musings from the ever-prosperous repertoire of JanGarbarek, here in minimalist world music mode and accompanied by oud player Anouar Brahem and Ustad Shaukat Hussain on tabla. At times suggestive of a simplistic Oregon or some ofthe more sedate offerings of Rabih Abou-Khalil, MADAR is richly steeped in Middle Eastern authenticity and textural folklore. The album's rudimentary nature renders it fairly reflective of the indigenous cultures it takes delight in spotlighting.
"Bahia" doesn't feature Garbarek at all but is a rhythmless lullaby dominated by Brahem's oud. Sands shift and parched winds blow when all three players merge on atmospheric, extended jams such as "Qaws", where Garbarek's rural air becomes a nomadic cry trapped within an intertwined mantra of percussion and strings. MADAR offers more signs of intelligent life beyond the traditional jazz diaspora.

Customer Reviews

One of my favourites
Thought I might offer a contrasting review to the previous one. It should be remembered that it's not a Garbarek album so much as a trio project. I find the variation of solo tracks with ensemble playing to be one of the album's strengths; it gives it a richer texture than a solo album by any of the three would have (why not have a piano epilogue?). The reason I rate Madar so highly though is because I find myself coming back to it over and over, more so than many of Garbarek's, and because of how vividly some of the tracks have implanted themselves in my memory. Life would be considerably less rich if I'd never heard Brahem's wrenchingly beautiful solo track Bahia, and the mesmeric riff and Garbarek's spiralling solo on Qaws never fail to affect me. If you're looking for an album with unforgettable moments, I strongly recommend this.

World Music in a positive sense
Jan Garbarek's career has always followed 2 paths: his work with his own group and his collaborative output. The former has been consistent in terms of quality, but since the 90's has gradually become more and more predictable; the latter remains interesting and varied but is not always completely successful.

This album falls firmly into the latter category. It starts off interestingly enough with all 3 musicians featuring on Sull Lull (a Garbarek arrangement of a Norwegian folk tune) and continues with the title track, a Garbarek and Brahem co-composition. Next, Sebika sees Garbarek and Brahem overdubbing solos onto a racing, repetitive oud pattern.

Then after half an hour we drift off into solo territory - first 2 tracks by Brahem and then one behemoth of a tabla solo by Hussain. Most collaborations on ECM are instigated by label boss and producer Manfred Eicher, bringing together musicians from his roster who he thinks would work well together. Strange then that so much of this album should be given over to solo tracks. There's nothing wrong with the tracks themselves, other than they belong on solo albums. What listeners really want to hear is these 3 great players interacting, and with no harmonic instrument the musicians could hardly complain of a lack of creative breathing space. This point is emphasised by Epilogue. It's less than a minute long but what is a piano vignette doing here other than filling space that should have been left empty? Suspiciously no one takes credit for it! Fortunately, sense is restored towards the end and both Joron (another traditional Norwegian melody) and Qaws feature more than one player.

Otherwise things are pretty much as you would expect. Typical ECM production, very spacious with copious amounts of reverb. Sometimes this can sound overly austere, but here it works well, making the drones hang in the air and giving them a deliciously haunting quality. Garbarek is as distinctive as ever, although this is not his best performance and he does rely on some trusty old phrases from time to time. Brahem is a revelation and the oud (or Arabic lute) is such a wonderful sounding instrument.

Overall, of the 77 minutes of music on offer, there is a very good 50-minute album lurking in here, you just need to programme your CD player to get it out. The 3 musicians all have strong voices on their respective instruments and when they interact the playing is always excellent and on occasions really inspired. A qualified success.