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Jasmine (Wajdi Cherif)
Ref:
wec003
Wajdi Cherif's music is open not only to Arabic melodies of his early childhood,
but also to the different trends of jazz and European classical music, which
influenced his compositions deeply. All this resulted in the creation of a brand
new jazz sound, a symbiosis of jazz and Arabic music.
On
"Jasmine", Wajdi Cherif explores new ways playing and composing
Arabic music, charging it each time with unique atmospheres. Every
composition of the CD is a scene or natural landscape (Falaises, which is
the French word for cliffs, Geranium Blues, Jasmine, Say something,
Pochade...).
The instruments on "Jasmine" were
chosen with great care, where the nostalgic and soft Oud sound meets
the enchanting flute and saxophones of David Sauzay, the deep-rooted
and percussive double bass lines of Yoni Zelnik, the powerful rhythmic
support of drummer Mourad Benhammou and the piano of Wajdi Cherif.
All these elements added to the magical and enchanted moods of each
composition create a rich music where space and silence are valued
Reviews:
"Falaises" confirms the inventiveness of
Wajdi Cherif and his unique style, a very convincing fusion of jazz and arabic
music.
Piano bleu (France)
Wajdi Cherif has a rather gracious musical character that is well served
by the accompanying musicians (authoritative flute of David Sauzay), which
interplays with the rhythmic colors brought by Mourad Benhammou, at ease in
both musical languages... The profusion
of colors and the rhythmic energy makes “Jasmine” a charming album. Jazzhot (France)
“Jasmine” diffuses a pleasant and rich perfume and reveals a marvelous
Eastern warmth, which invites us to reveries full of gentleness, that announce
pleasant summer evenings…
Zicline (France)
Awards/Honors:
-
"JASMINE" has
been selected as a finalist in the Indie Acoustic Project’s “Best CDs of 2005”
awards in the World Music: Eurasia & Global Beat category. “one of the
best CDs of 2005.”
More infos
here
- "Pochade ", the first track of "Jasmine" won a honorable
mention in The
International Songwriting Competition (ISC) USA in the instrumental category. Judges include Sonny Rollins,
John Scofield, Steve Vai, Tom Waits...
- "Saliha's Tribute" won the third price in the International
Songwriting contest of EuroMedCafe "D'autres sons" in Belgium.
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