Anouar Brahem – “The Astounding Eyes Of Rita”

As a Tunisian oud player and composer, Anouar is widely acclaimed as an innovator in his field. He performs primarily for a jazz audience, fusing Arab classical music, folk and jazz.

“The Astounding Eyes Of Rita”

Anouar Brahem – oud, Klaus Gesing – bass clarinet, Björn Meyer – bass, Khaled Yassine – darbouka, bendir

All compositions by Anour Brahem

“The Lover of Beirut” – 7:44, “Dance with Waves” – 3:56, “Stopover at Djibouti” – 6:34, “The Astounding Eyes of Rita” – 8:41, “Al Birwa” – 4:51, “Galilee Mon Amour” – 7:17, “Waking State” – 7:48, “For No Apparent Reason” – 6:35

Writing for The Guardian reviewer John Fordham observed “In recent years, Brahem’s work has been more refined and reflective than groove-inclined, but this vivacious quartet set marks a return to the chemistry of Thimar, and it’s a richly varied and often thrilling piece of world-jazz”.

Writing for All About Jazz, John Kelman noted “After two discs of sparer chamber music, it’s great to hear Brahem back with a pulse; but with Meyer, Gesing, and Yassine as partners, he’s retained the elusive mystery of albums like Le Pas du Chat Noir (2002), making The Astounding Eyes of Rita his most aesthetically unified album to date”.