Brahem returns to Istanbul

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

Tunisian oud player Anouar Brahem will be on the Istanbul stage tonight.

Tunisian oud player and composer Anouar Brahem, who is known for his fusing of Arab classical, folk and jazz music, will take the stage at Istanbul’s Cemal Reşit Rey hall tonight at 8 p.m.

Encouraged by his father, a music lover, Brahem began his studies of the oud, the lute of Arab world, at the age of 10. Brahem soon began to broaden his field of listening to include other musical expressions, from around the Mediterranean and from Iran and India. Since jazz began to command his attention, he became widely acclaimed as an innovator in his field. He fused Arab classical music, folk music and jazz and has been recording since 1991 after becoming prominent in his own country in the late 1980s.

In playing style, Brahem is often compared to Rabih Abou-Khalil, though his compositions tend to be more mellow and sparse.T He often utilizes an ensemble of three or four musicians and has collaborated throughout his career and on several albums with other musicians, including Tunisian percussionist Lassad Hosni and violinist Bechir Selmi, as well as Turkish clarinetist Barbaros Erköse. He has also performed live concerts with these same ensembles.

Brahem has previously visited Istanbul to play in the Jazz in Ramadan concert series.