Search - Anouar Brahem :: ECM Touchstones: Conte de l'Incroyable Amour

Love for life

MUSIC LOVER | London | 04/24/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Describing music is not a grateful task- one reason for skipping it in my review. However much you might know about the instrumentation, the measures, the chord changes, it'll avail you nothing until you've listened to it for yourself. In the case of Anouar Brahem's "Conte de l'incroyable amour", the listening experience is more than rewarding. The seemingly minimalistic music grips you tight when you let yourself get lost in it. This grip is in no way aggressive, it rather resembles the passionate grip of a lover. When you have the music as a background while going about your business , you won't wish for a better companion. It's not just sound in your ears- it's rather vibrations of love flowing from your speakers.The centerpiece of the album is the title track, "Conte de l'incroyable amour". Everything evolves around it, the theme even returns in the epilogue. Yes, this is a story of unbelievable love, whatever it may be for you. Anouar Brahem pulls the strings of his oud and your heart at the same time. You never get sentimental, but full of love for life.I'm looking forward to hearing more music by this outstanding artist."

Magic solitude

Alex Balint | Bucharest, Romania | 03/14/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What you will hear in this album is magic solitude. Is silence. Brahem explores the mystical sounds rooted deep inside us, and only giving these his most familiar form, through his oud. This music is born for artists, for sensitive creative people. For rare moments of true happines."

Stunning Jazz

Alessandra Vasyuta | Iowa, USA | 03/03/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have a weakness for traditional Middle Eastern music, spurred by a year spent in Afghanistan. I discovered this CD quite by accident while searching for Arabic pop music this past summer. I was attracted to the bits I heard on the Amazon music player and ordered the CD. The first time I listened to it I was not entirely impressed, so I listened to it again and discovered much of the complexity that I had missed with my first preview.



Too often, jazz is overly complex in both range and the number of instruments. For me, the attraction to this particular music genre is the complexity a good artist can create with only one or two instruments, and this is a complexity that Anouar Brahem brilliantly brings to his recording. I will not compare him to other artists because I do not feel this would do him justice; he is entirely, to my mind, unique. I have always liked traditional North African instruments and his playing is spare, minimal and yet complex. Perhaps the best way to describe it is that it is like letting chocolate melt on your tongue: that first burst of flavor followed by a richer, darker finish.



My personal favorite of the tracks is the title track, Conte de L'incroyable Amour. The rhythm repeats a few times during the course of the song but sounds new each time. The notes flow in a tangled way that leaves one wishing the song lasted much longer. I can only say that, having heard this single CD, I will purchase all other recordings available. Truly a masterful artist with incredible control over the melodies he weaves."