La plèbe

Après un week end pascal qui rompt la monotonie quotidienne du travailleur, il y a de ces bonnes nouvelles qui vous mettent en joie et relèguent au second plan, voire au dernier, le quotidien professionnel.

C’est le cas, ce matin, suite à la réception de ce mail facebook (pour une fois que j’ai l’impression que ça sert à autre chose que le remplissage de la vacuité ce machin) que je m’empresse de vous mettre en copie ici même. Toutefois, je tiens à préciser que dans le cadre de son nouvel album (prévu officiellement pour l’automne 2009 selon le site officiel), Anouar Brahem sera en tournée et de passage sur Paris le 9 décembre 2009 à la salle Pleyel (j’ai déjà mes places !).

 » (…) Anouar Brahem is back! And what a comeback it was! Last Saturday, the Tunisian audience was literally in heaven under the spell of « Ashiq Min Beirut/Lover from Beirut », « Raks Ala Al-Amwej/Dancing on the Waves », « Tareeq Ila Djibouti/Road to Djibouti » and « Ila Oyooni Rita/For Rita’s Eyes », all brand new compositions from his upcoming album.

The line up comprised Klaus Gesing of Germany on bass clarinet, Björn Meyer of Sweden on electric bass, Khaled Yassine of Lebanon on percussions and Anouar Brahem on Oud (luth). The quartet also played « Sur le Fleuve/On the River » of « Voyage de Sahar/Sahar’s Journey », a couple other brand-new compositions (still nameless) and a « heavily » refined « Ya Maktoob Snine/O Fate » (this is an old composition that dates back to the 80′s but didn’t make it to any album yet!). « Ya Maktoob Snine » was showered with a standing ovation from the public who asked for « an encore » and got it.

Mr. Brahem dedicated the new album, still without a title, to the late Mahmoud Darwish, the prominent Palestinian poet.

Vivid, dynamic, full of pep and joy, Brahem’s newest compositions jumped the acoustic spectrum to the « hot end of it » as if by some quantum leap. Forget a bit about the blues and sadness conveyed in most previous compositions, the new album seems to be about optimism, fun, toes in hot sand, a cool glass of lemonade and a fresh Mediterranean breeze.

Maybe these are the « Words » that are most needed « in the aftermath of the war » after all.

Brahem also proved that he doesn’t dwell on his past successes, that he never sets on his laurels and that he’s boldly seeking new directions for his art without compromising the depth of the immersion the listener should witness when « interacting » with the music.

In 2006, the NY Times wrote: « Anouar Brahem music evokes a kind of 21st century Andalusia, in which European and Arab sensibilities have merged so profoundly ».

True! Last Sunday’s concert was tantamount to eighty minutes of « Convivencia », of a co-existence between two seemingly antagonist instruments namely the Oud and the electric bass. By some magic only Brahem knows how to concoct, this « oxymoron » was marvelously turned into a mosaique: one is stunned by the beautiful whole but can still distinguish the small pieces that never take place at the expense of each other.

Brahem was wearing his (usual) black T-shirt and was passionately humming along the melodies.

The new CD is to be released in August.

We’ll keep you posted!

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