Anouar Brahem – The Astounding Eyes of Rita (CD, Ecm)

It was three fragments created within a short period of time that formed the seed for Anouar Brahem’s new program. Rhythmically lively, tightly interlocked dialogues in the middle range dominate in the new quartet that Brahem has put together with Manfred Eicher: The German wind player Klaus Gesing, an improviser with enormously flexible phrasing, seems to have a natural affinity for the Tunisian’s sound world. The timbre of Björn Meyer’s bass blends effortlessly with the oud and lays an agile foundation. Finally, the young Lebanese Khaled Yassine provides the vital pulse of a music in which the traditional and the present, rigor and freedom always condition each other.