Norwegian pianist Jon Balke has assembled a remarkable collection of musicians for Siwan. Most notable is the incredible Moroccan singer Amina Alaoui, who’s presence here lends a quiet dignity, yet also Algerian Kheir Eddine M’Kachiche on violin, Norwegian violinist Bjarte Eike and his baroque orchestra, and recent visitor to Sydney’s Luminous Festival Jon Hassell on trumpet and electronics. In all we’re talking 18 musicians on this unique and intriguing project that began life as a commission and grew into this cross cultural amalgamation of Arabic and European cultures that harks back to the Gharnati music from Muslim Iberia (730 – 1492), baroque, and also improvised music.
It comes across as a series of swells, where you can hear hints of the mannered constructions of baroque, yet the gentle plucking takes on an Arabic feel. Above it all, above both the subtlety and power of the music are Amina Alaoui’s remarkable vocals. She comes from a classical tradition, yet is also a musicologist. Here she’s using the texts of famous Spanish poets from the 10th – 15th century, singing in Spanish and often it’s her long drawn out wails and vocal versatility that provide a sense of melody. This is a very still album, there’s a sense of melancholy to many of the tunes, only enhanced by the longing in Alaoui’s voice. Yet there’s also a slight jazz feel, particularly on the hypnotic peaceful stomp of Itimad, that comes from Al-Mu’tamid Ibn Abbad (1040-1095) the poet King of Seville who was deposed and imprisoned in Morocco with his wife. The poem comes from a note he slipped to her in an adjoining cell. “Promise me that the pact that unites us will not be broken with distance,” he pleads and though you can’t understand her words you can feel them. This is a remarkable album, there’s a real power in their restraint. Worlds are colliding, yet the results are subtle, intriguing and unlikely, pretty much exactly as it appears on paper.
Bob Baker Fish
