05-02-2026, 16:39
ANOUHAR BRAHEM - Souvenance
What an absolute pleasure it is to listen to something that breathes. I feel as though there is so little air in the world right now, it is immensely calming to put on headphones and get lost in sounds that are both intentional and beautifully executed. Music for oud, quartet and string orchestra – I guess one might call it contemporary jazz, for want of a more apt description, although it doesn’t yell jazz at me – I find it to be much more deliberate and melodic than the ‘jazz’ label implies – a cosmopolitan combination of styles and influences while somehow retaining something of his roots (hence being relegated to this thread). Brahem is a Tunisian oud player – quite brilliant, and the production is masterful, as is to be expected from Manfred Eicher. A two CD affair and one and a half hours of loveliness.
I always want to know about unusual words and the www tells me that ‘souvenance’ could be described as a remembering / remembrance or recollection of something or someone from the past – a calling to mind of an individual or event that was of personal significance. Just like souvenir I suppose, except that it’s in your mind and memory rather than something tactile.
What an absolute pleasure it is to listen to something that breathes. I feel as though there is so little air in the world right now, it is immensely calming to put on headphones and get lost in sounds that are both intentional and beautifully executed. Music for oud, quartet and string orchestra – I guess one might call it contemporary jazz, for want of a more apt description, although it doesn’t yell jazz at me – I find it to be much more deliberate and melodic than the ‘jazz’ label implies – a cosmopolitan combination of styles and influences while somehow retaining something of his roots (hence being relegated to this thread). Brahem is a Tunisian oud player – quite brilliant, and the production is masterful, as is to be expected from Manfred Eicher. A two CD affair and one and a half hours of loveliness.
I always want to know about unusual words and the www tells me that ‘souvenance’ could be described as a remembering / remembrance or recollection of something or someone from the past – a calling to mind of an individual or event that was of personal significance. Just like souvenir I suppose, except that it’s in your mind and memory rather than something tactile.
"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us." ~ Bill Watterson