Recorded in the legendary Canadian studios Hotel 2 Tango, Farah Kaddour's debut work is an enthralling and impetuous rereading of the Arab folk tradition.
The Lebanese academic researcher and musicologist focuses her attention on buzuqa long-necked lute tied to the bouzoki greek et al saz Iranian and Turkish, whose origins are placed in ancient Persia, an instrument with an innate aptitude for improvisation, which has only recently become the subject of academic studies due to its recognized influence on the popular and classical tradition of Arab music.
“Badā” is an album more inclined to experimentation than to a conventional, traditional and classical composition. The virtuoso fingerpicking by Kaddour offers an articulated exploration of sharp and thundering timbres, which crumble and regenerate in a swirling sequence of harmonic and rhythmic intuitions (“Khuzama”).
With cultured mastery, Farah Kaddour takes folk roots by the hand, dipping their melodic power into a hypnotic and furious technical excursion that brings together fingerpicking And strumming (“Taraddud”) and dusts off an ancient North African composition (“Bulbul El-Afrah”) stripping it of its original epic beauty for a vibrant and energetic reinterpretation.
The buzuq However, it is not an easy instrument to approach: the complex system of mobile keys and a tuning bordering on perfection make interaction with complex musical structures difficult, but Kaddour's ambition and technical awareness know no limits. After all, her past is marked by an interesting liveliness and versatility: she played in a Lebanese rock band, Sanam, performed with Hans Joachim Irmler of Faust, studied classical Arabic music under the guidance of Mustafa Said. A curriculum that allows her to intercept scales without rhythmic and melodic patterns, such as maqam Arabic, and to create pages of elusive beauty (“Mad Ou Jazr”), for a decidedly unique recording work.
03/11/2024
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
