Jerusalem After Midnight-An Outstanding Album
Suhail Khoury’s “Jerusalem After Midnight” is a ground-breaking album with eight instrumental titles that put forward the haunting sound of the nay (the Arabic flute), the instrument for which the musician has an obvious, strong predilection and that he plays with particular talent and virtuosity.
The lack of homogeneity in style between the tracks does not affect the appeal of the music in any way, the listener just has to adapt to the different atmospheres that the pieces naturally create. Overall it is superb, classy Arabic music that stems from genuine, sincere inspiration. It conveys emotion and pleasure. The original compositions by Khoury are refined and show the very best of Arabic instrumental music today, miles away from the crop of the excessively commercial, robotic productions. In a cer?ain way it deserves the “classical” label though perhaps it does not claim or pretend to be.
The recording is very modern and brings out the accented bass guitar lines that greatly contribute to give a contemporary envelope to the sound, without appearing heavily processed or artificial in any way. Actually a little bit more reverberation or echo would not have hurt! The stereophonic separation could have been wider too, for one has the impression that all the instruments are in the centre of the space. The musicians play acoustic instruments exclusively, doing away with any electric keyboard or d?gital equipment.
“Marge Ibin Amer” is a very nice, fresh folkloric-type piece with a great introduction by the solo nay, supported by the slightly jazzy bass. The traditional style of the melody and the theme blend well with the more modern treatment and arrangement. It is one of the album’s best tracks.
“Raqs” (dance) does what the title implies. This is an energetic composition with a typical Arabic dance rhythm; the tune is not bad either. “An Attempt to Love” with its somewhat occidental song tilt brings a nice change in the overall sonic scope and does not seem out of place at all. The album’s title track, “Jerusalem After Midnight”, is one of the most compelling and shows the savoir-faire of Khoury at writing good music and at playing it well.
“Min Atleet Ila Al Naqab Tahiyyeh” shines with its beautiful melody and the long solo introduction played on the clarinet that lasts about two minutes. By Western standards it is a “bluesy”, piece full of melancholy and sadness.
I found the following three pieces to be less attractive than the previous five.
“Shabeh” (positioned as track 2) is a sombre, dramatic composition inspired by the torture Suhail Khoury endured while he was in prison (for having produced a musical tape). The subject may be poignant and moving but unfortunately the music is not. The melody is too loose, too difficult to follow. It sounds like a form of bold contemporary experimental music, with not enough unity. Credit must be given where due anyway, and one must admit that the performance of all the musicians is brilliant here; for this is a piece that is rather difficult to play.
“Nasr” (victory), and more particularly “Ramallah-Jerusalem and Back” are too strange to please. There is certainly a laudable effort in writing the “unconventional” score but the result is not up to the effort. The street sounds that were included in the recording do not integrate well with the other elements. Perhaps “Ramallah-Jerusalem and Back” could work better in a movie soundtrack.
“Jerusalem after Midnight” is produced by the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music. The eight pieces were composed by Khoury and the excellent arrangements written by Ahmad Al Khatib. Alongside Khoury who plays the nay and the clarinet, Ahmad Al Khatib plays the buzuq and the oud, Heather Bursheh the flute, Yousef Hbeish the percussions, Ibrahim Atari the qanoun, Peter Herbert the bass, Juergen Kersten the drums and Nicolas Altstaedt the cello.
Taking all elements into consideration “Jerusalem After Midnight” makes a truly great album, if only for five of its tracks that are outstanding. The CD flies higher than any other recent Arabic music production.
Jean-Claude Elias
The Jordan Times