Record Reviews

WDR BIG BAND ~ JAZZ AL` ARAB BIGBAND 1001 (Barcode: 4250459910016) ~ GERMANY ~ Big Band Jazz Recorded: 2006 Released: 2012 This is an album by the German WDR Big BandFind albums by this artist from Cologne, dedicated to Maghreb (the western part of North Africa, including Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia) Jazz motifs. The Big Band is conducted by British composer / conductor / arranger Michael GibbsFind albums by this artist. The guest soloists are Maghrebian musicians: Karim ZiadFind albums by this artist, Aziz SahmaouiFind albums by this artist, Mehdi AskeurFind albums by this artist and Rhani KrijaFind albums by this artist, all of whom contribute vocal and percussion parts. The album presents nine tracks, a mixture of traditional and original compositions by Sahmaoui, Ziad and others, arranged by Gibbs. The WDR Big Band is one of several German Big Bands, such as the NDR Big BandFind albums by this artist (from Hamburg) or the HR Big BandFind albums by this artist (from Frankfurt), which function side by side with the regional state broadcasting corporations active in Germany, being decentralized by law and remaining as one of the last bastions of independent publicly sponsored cultural organizations, adding a tremendous input into European Jazz in particular and European Culture in general. The musicians employed by these Big Bands have ideal working conditions and are free from economic struggles, which take a heavy toll on most freelance musicians. Also many projects, like the one documented on this album, would have never happened in a purely unsponsored commercial environment and the existence of these bands is simply a cultural miracle. The music is a brilliant amalgam of the Orchestral / Big Band Jazz and Jazz-World Fusion idioms, which combines the best of the two worlds. The Maghreb music is a wonderful treasure chest of music, especially the Berber and Gnawa traditions, and it produced some world-famous figures, like my Friend Majid BekkasFind albums by this artist, and had some influence on the European Jazz scene over time, but a meeting with the Big Band environment is relatively rare, and this is a splendid opportunity to enjoy it to the max. It should be noted that Maghreb music, like all Middle Eastern musical traditions, includes intrinsically the element of improvisation, which of course makes it more open to Jazz than most European musical traditions. Especially so in the vocal music, which is almost entirely improvised and at times can last as long as half an hour, improvising just on one basic tune. Overall, this is a truly delightful piece of music, which can be enjoyed by a wide audience of Jazz listeners. Of course Big Band lovers, especially those of the European Big Band variety, will be completely smitten by the virtuosity of the performances and the depth of the music found on this album. Gibbs’ arrangements are especially charming, and deserve to be listened to with attention and admiration.

Updated: 10/10/2024Posted: 10/10/2024

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend