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All Reviews >>

Le Trio Joubran Randana Real World, 2005

Three thirty-something, oud-playing, Palestinian brothers is quite a hook to start with, but the real hook here is awesomely beautiful ensemble work. Samir Joubran began recording as an oud soloist in 2001, then expanded to a duo with his brother Wissam in 2002, and ultimately a trio with Adnan in 2004 (unless there are more virtuoso Joubran brothers in the wings…) Fraternity may well explain some of the musicality here. There is extraordinary unity in the playing on these five, exquisite pieces. But there’s more, perhaps the stress and sadness of contemporary life as a Palestinian. Whatever the source, these three play with precision and soulfulness, and here offer up a rare masterpiece of instrumental, Arabic music.

These pieces feel composed and executed by plan. If there is improvising here, it is subtle. That is not to say the recording lacks any spontaneity or fire. On the contrary, it has you on the edge or your seat from the first note, like a well told story. The opener “Hawas” is explained as “no music without passion…sorrow.” It starts with a flurry of rich unison and branches out in stunning solos, a tour de force. Other pieces are more reserved, such as the stately “Misage,” or the album’s lengthy setpiece, “Safar,” a journey that begins and ends with an ostinato and tremolo that convey the feeling of sunrise. In between, the three players engage in intense flights of collective exposition, at times with the fleet fury of cats chasing one another, all punctuated by poignant silences, breaths between tense, fraught exertions.

The final piece, “Anwak,” recorded live in Ramallah, is a love song by Egyptian composer Mohamed Abdel Wahab, and sung here by the beloved Egyptian singer Abdel Halim Al Hafez. It is a crowd pleaser, and a soothing finale to an extraordinary musical journey. We need to see this trio on concert stages in the US soon!