Reflections Of Palestine

Ramzi Aburedwan, “Reflections of Palestine (Riverboat, 2012)
ALL TRACKS FCC CLEAN Reviewed by Abu Ramses

8-year-old Ramzi, who grew up in al-‘Amari refugee camp in the West Bank, was the subject of a classic photo during the first Palestinian intifada (1987-93) showing him about to throw a stone. The image inspired the poet Nizar al-Qabbani’s “Trilogy of the Children of the Stones.” Discovering music in his late teens changed Ramzi’s life. The French Cultural Center in Ramallah gave him a grant to study viola at the National Conservatory in Angers, France. He now leads the Palestine National Ensemble of Arabic Music. In 2006 he founded al-Kamandjâti (The Violinist), a Ramallah-based network of 10 music schools with 500 students. This is an all-instrumental album featuring Ramzi on the bouzouk, accompanied by oud, accordion and percussion. Chromatic melodies use western minor scales more than the microtones of Arabic maqamat

Tracks
**1. Rahil (Exile) – showcases the bouzouk; slow intro, then upbeat - 7:37
2. Sans Adresse (Without address) - slow, Andalusian-style sound - 6:41
3. Sodfa (By Chance) – accordion intro and vamp under bouzouk - 5:54
4. Bahar (Sea) – slow, high-pitched clarinet intro, then strings & ensemble - 5:49
***5. Raja (Return) – solo clarinet intro, beautiful, slow, haunting melody - 5:58
6. Tahrir (Liberation) - tango-ish beat, long accordion solo, percussion riff - 7:05
**7. Sama’i Farah Faza – traditional, stately, sama‘i form in 12/8 time - 7:44
****8. Bordeaux – allegretto bouzouki solos - 6:16
9. Andalus – a mid-tempo Arabic sound with some Russian overtones - 4:54
**10. Gitans en orient (Gypsies in the east) – gypsy music, big accordion - 7:13