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Great Oud recordings?

post #1 of 13
2/13/11 at 2:49am
Thread Starter 

I would be very grateful if anyone can point me to classical music with a dominant Oud component. There are multiple CDs (please see link) available on Amazon, but I am not sure what the quality of the recording is.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Eastern-Strings-Art-Arabian-Solos-Ammouri/dp/B00006JQUM/ref=sr_1_8?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1297594129&sr=1-8

 

If you haven't heard it before, please give it a listen. The sound is very full-bodied and rich. Thanks a ton!

 

- akart

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post #2 of 13
2/13/11 at 3:47am

By quality of recording, do you mean actual recording quality (of CD as opposed to the mp3 samples on Amazon)?  Or the quality of the performance?

 

 

I'm not expert on the oud, but I have recently enjoyed this recording from the Muscat Oud Festival: http://www.classicsonline.com/catalogue/product.aspx?pid=792862 Samples are also available there.

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post #3 of 13
2/13/11 at 4:43pm
Thread Starter 

Thank you very much, Henry! That is exactly the type of music I was looking for. I hope it is recorded well.

 

As to your question about quality of music:

I mean both good performances and good recordings (as in the work done by the recording engineer). Of course, CD always wins over MP3.

 

After I posted the above request, I spoke to the president of Water Lily Acoustics (they are a company that produce highly acclaimed audiophile classical recordings - many of them fusion of East and West). He pointed me to these two albums, he thinks are very well performed and recorded:

 

1. Munir Bashir - Art of the Oud (Label: OCORA, France)

2. W.M.Bhatt and Simon Shaheen - Saltanah (Label: Water Lily Acoustics)

 

The second album is available for preview on hdtracks.com. Here is the link:

https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?file=catalogdetail&valbum_code=HD707723005120

 

I strongly encourage you to give it a listen. Water Lily Acoustics produces extremely beautiful recordings. If your amp has good crossfeed, that will be of immense help in re-creating the stage, especially on WLA recordings.

 

2.jpg

 

411F6DB4GKL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

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post #4 of 13
2/17/11 at 5:10am
Anouar Brahem, from Tunisia, has a number of recordings under ECM, of which Astrakan Cafe is the most traditional. The recorded sound is crisp and beautiful.

The Egyptian oudist Hamza El Din has recorded for a number of labels and is thus fairly well-known, and if you like Water Lily Acoustics, he has a few CDs on that label too (e.g. Lily of the Nile).

Richard Hagopian is the representative of the Armenian style of oud playing. His band Kef Time is great fun, but if it is the oud you want you may want to get this record instead.

For a taste of Algerian Style, try the album Le Foundou by Abdelaziz "Alla" Abdellah. The label also has a number of archival recordings (in Mono sound) by Cheikh Raymond, often regarded as one of the greatest oudist from Algeria.
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post #5 of 13
2/17/11 at 11:54pm
Thread Starter 

@FalconP: Thank you very much. I am a big Oud fan, and I will certainly check these out.
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by FalconP View Post

Anouar Brahem, from Tunisia, has a number of recordings under ECM, of which Astrakan Cafe is the most traditional. The recorded sound is crisp and beautiful.

The Egyptian oudist Hamza El Din has recorded for a number of labels and is thus fairly well-known, and if you like Water Lily Acoustics, he has a few CDs on that label too (e.g. Lily of the Nile).

Richard Hagopian is the representative of the Armenian style of oud playing. His band Kef Time is great fun, but if it is the oud you want you may want to get this record instead.

For a taste of Algerian Style, try the album Le Foundou by Abdelaziz "Alla" Abdellah. The label also has a number of archival recordings (in Mono sound) by Cheikh Raymond, often regarded as one of the greatest oudist from Algeria.
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post #6 of 13
2/18/11 at 4:33am
For Oud in a modern context, try Dhafer Youssef.

I like the sound of many recommendations in this thread and will take it as an opportunity to explore this instrument further
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post #7 of 13
2/19/11 at 7:33am

Maybe try the Iraqi oudist Rahim Alhaj's Friendship…it's a collaboration with the Sadaqa Quartet. Admittedly, it's not my favorite of his records (I like When the Soul is Settled and Iraqi Music In A Time Of War), but the addition of the string quartet makes it his most classically-oriented thing. (Now I'm wondering if by "classical" the O.P. meant "traditional".) Alhaj studied with Munir Bachir.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Friendship-Rahim-Alhaj-Sadaja-Quartet/dp/B000EU1IAC/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1298128118&sr=1-5

 

As for stuff already mentioned, I'm a big fan of Anouar Brahem.

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post #8 of 13
2/20/11 at 1:56am
Thread Starter 

Wow. There are great recommendations on this thread. Thank you so very much! "Astrakan Cafe" sounds beautiful. Probably my next purchase :-)

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post #9 of 13
2/20/11 at 2:16am
Thread Starter 

Great to hear. I love strings generally, but the Oud stands apart (for me) as the string instrument with the most full bodied and melodious sound.
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by rehabitat View Post

For Oud in a modern context, try Dhafer Youssef.

I like the sound of many recommendations in this thread and will take it as an opportunity to explore this instrument further
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post #10 of 13
2/20/11 at 4:34pm
Excellent recommendations, i listened to Hamza ElDin's "a wish", great album! He not only mastered the Oud but also the Tar (drum-like instrument) and the recording is phenomenal to say the least, I strongly urge you guys to check him out. I also recommend Omar Bashir (Munir Bashir's son), he's got some nice albums, "Latin Oud" is my favorite. Also check Naseer Shamma, excellent Iraqi oud player. Happy listening! smily_headphones1.gif
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post #11 of 13
2/21/11 at 2:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by akart View Post

Great to hear. I love strings generally, but the Oud stands apart (for me) as the string instrument with the most full bodied and melodious sound.
 


 


I agree, and would add that the sound of an Oud has a raw emotional quality not found in the more refined western stringed instruments, which I suppose lends itself to traditional Middle Eastern musical style.  I seem to remember hf member gevorg recommending some rather intense Oud works in another thread.  Bear with me while I dig up a link.

 

edit: My mistake; it was the Duduk: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/518931/what-instrument-do-you-love-to-listen-to-the-most/15#post_7077466

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post #12 of 13
2/23/11 at 4:28am

Have you tried hdtracks.com?  A lot of albums featuring the oud are available in their world music category and you can preview them in AIFF format.  Water Lilly is a great label and they're available on hdtracks. You can download in FLAC.

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post #13 of 13
2/23/11 at 8:32pm
Thread Starter 

Water Lily is an awesome label. I am blown away by their recordings with crossfeed turned on. I have "Saltanah" and "Lily of the Nile" both of which feature the Oud. I have a lot of their other albums as well.
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Headphone Workshop View Post

Have you tried hdtracks.com?  A lot of albums featuring the oud are available in their world music category and you can preview them in AIFF format.  Water Lilly is a great label and they're available on hdtracks. You can download in FLAC.

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