Dudu Tassa is a veteran of the Israeli alternative rock scene; Jonny Greenwood, composer and guitarist (Radiohead, The Smile), needs no introduction, if not to recall the superb Junun (2015), album of compositions by Shye Ben Tzur performed with the Rajasthan Express ensemble. A curious musician, this Briton, who imagined “what Kraftwerk would have done in Cairo in the 1970s” by designing Jarak Qaribak with friend Tassa, his guide through this romantic Middle Eastern repertoire, reinterpreted in their visionary way. And with a handful of guest singers: the poignant despair in the tone of the Lebanese Rashid al Najjar on Ashufak Shaythe sensuality of the Dubai singer Safae Essafi on Ahibakher voice wrapped in strings and flutes, the soft and mysterious tone of the Palestinian Nour Freteikh on the strange and psychedelic Taq ou-Dub, how beautiful. Synths, electric guitars, brass, oud and rebab and electronic percussion bring this repertoire from the last century back to life, shedding light on composers he now urges us to discover.
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