Conte de L'incroyable Amour is Tunisian composer and oud virtuoso Anouar Brahem's follow-up to his excellent ECM debut, Barzakh.
Like its predecessor, this release contains original material that mixes Arabic music and jazz improvisation and features a stellar band comprised of some of Turkey's finest musicians (this time out Brahem is joined by clarinetist Barbaros Erkose, nay (reed flute) player Kudsi Ergune, and the percussionist from Barzakh, Lassad Hosni).
In contrast to Barzakh's livelier mood, though, the sound here is more meditative and even stark at times, especially on solo flights by both Brahem ("Iram Retrouvee") and Erkose ("Etincelles") and by way of Erguner's ethereal improvisations ("Diversion").
The pace picks up on the sympathetically played and joyous ensemble piece "Conte de L'incroyable Amour" and on the impassioned Brahem and Erkose duet, "Nayzak." ECM's typically sparse and airy production compliments Brahem's ascetic material without making it sound too dry.
A wonderful album that, upon repeated listening, reveals many transcendent moments.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EtincellesAnouar Brahem | Anouar Brahem | Play | 03:22 | 7 MB | 11 MB |
| 2 | Le Chien Sur Les Genoux de la DevineresseAnouar Brahem | Anouar Brahem | Play | 03:44 | 8 MB | 11 MB |
| 3 | L' Oiseau de BoisAnouar Brahem | Anouar Brahem | Play | 04:48 | 11 MB | 18 MB |
| 4 | Lumière du SilenceAnouar Brahem | Anouar Brahem | Play | 05:15 | 12 MB | 17 MB |
| 5 | Peshrev Hidjaz HomayounVeli Dede | Anouar Brahem | Play | 05:03 | 11 MB | 19 MB |
| 6 | DiversionKudsi Erguner | Anouar Brahem | Play | 05:39 | 12 MB | 21 MB |
| 7 | NayzakAnouar Brahem | Anouar Brahem | Play | 05:32 | 12 MB | 24 MB |
| 8 | En Souvenir d'IramAnouar Brahem | Anouar Brahem | Play | 03:03 | 6 MB | 9 MB |
| 9 | Iram RetrouvéeAnouar Brahem | Anouar Brahem | Play | 03:48 | 8 MB | 12 MB |
| 10 | Conte De L'Incroyable Amour | Anouar Brahem | Play | 10:51 | 24 MB | 43 MB |
| 11 | Battements | Anouar Brahem | Play | 01:56 | 4 MB | 7 MB |
| 12 | Epiloque | Anouar Brahem | Play | 06:21 | 14 MB | 22 MB |
| 59 mins | 136 MB | |||||
| 59 mins | 219 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anouar Brahem | Composer, Oud, Primary Artist |
| 2 | Veli Dede | Composer |
| 3 | Veli Dede | Composer |
| 4 | Manfred Eicher | Producer |
| 5 | Kudsi Erguner | Composer, Nai |
| 6 | Barbaros Erköse | Clarinet |
| 7 | Lassad Hosni | Bendir, Darbouka |
| 8 | Jan Erik Kongshaug | Engineer |
| 9 | Barbara Wojirsch | Cover Design |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |