Rabih Abou-Khalil - 1987 - Between Dusk and Dawn

Rabih Abou-Khalil 

1987

Between Dusk and Dawn

01. Dusk (14:15)
02. Bat Dance (5:32)
03. Nightfall (6:38)
04. Ugo in Love (3:46)
05. Chess with Mal (7:32)
06. The Thing That Came Out of the Swamp (4:10)
07. Dawn (5:51)
08. And Finally ... The Oasis (6:53)

Rabih Abou-Khalil / oud, flute (3,6)

With:
Charlie Mariano / soprano & alto saxophones
Glen Moore / bass
Glen Velez / Middle Eastern frame drums, bodhrán, darabukka, percussion, overtone singing (6)
Ramesh Shotham / percussion (South Indian: tavil, ghatam, mouth harp, dholak, kanjira)
Christian Burchard / marimba (6)

Michael Armann / piano (6)

Here’s an unusual artist who flirts with the fringes of prog, walking that fine line between progressive folk and world music. In Abou-Khalil’s case there is more than a little jazz as well, as evidenced in the complex arrangements and challenging instrumental passages that dominate most of his large body of work. This is one of his earliest albums, released on vinyl in 1987 and CD in 1993 (and again in 1999, I believe), although I think it may have been available under a different cover as early as 1986.

While some of his later work would introduce vocals sporadically, this is an instrumental album. Abou- Khalil’s music is highly percussive, with every album featuring loads of various ethnic hand drums and other percussive instruments. Like his other early albums this one features Glenn Moore of the fusion band Oregon on bass, although in later years Abou-Khalil would often use a tuba rather than traditional bass to give the music a bit more playful and dynamic feel.

The general concept of this album is just what the title says, a sort of musical expression of the period of a day between dusk and dawn. The centerpiece of the album is the opening “Dusk”, constructed mostly around Abou-Khalil’s principal ‘voice’, the ancient lyre-like oud, an instrument that dates back more than 5,000 years and is believed by some to have been one of the first musical instruments to be created. Abou-Khalil manages to cover a lot of ground with just his oud. Longtime jazz saxophonist Charlie Marino plays beautifully throughout, and on a couple of tracks (“Nightfall”, “The Thing That Came out of the Swamp”) Abou-Khalil plays flute, the first instrument he learned as a child in Lebanon. Otherwise the music all consists of marimbas, frame drums, dholak, ghatam and various other hand drums.

Besides the opening track, other standout compositions include the lively and alto sax-driven “Ugo in Love” in which Abou-Khalil manages to lay down some fervid strokes on his oud for the most lively song on the album; “Chess with Mal” where Marino playfully bounds along with the bouncy tempo set by the frame drums and marimba; and “The Thing That Came out of the Swamp” in which Abou-Khalil’s flute dominates and it sounds like there may be some uncredited piano as well.

But every track here can be appreciated, even by those like me where the technical complexity tends to go over their head. This isn’t casual listening music for sure, but if you are willing to invest an hour of your life for a taste of what Middle-Eastern music sounds like with a bit of jazz to infuse some life in it, Rabih Abou-Khalil is your guy. Four stars even if I don’t know what these great musicians are doing half the time – you just need a couple of ears to discern quality music when you hear it.