The Other Shore

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The net result is music that has a distinct immediacy if not urgency at times, and ElSaffar is to be commended for assembling and directing a band which somehow manages to capture the bustling,... — Jazzwise, November 2021, 3 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 10th Sep 2021
Catalogue No: OTN640
Label: Outhere
Length: 78 minutes

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Amir ElSaffar: Dhuha

Work length12:50

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Amir Elsaffar, Rivers of Sound

Amir ElSaffar: Transformations

Work length9:54

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Amir Elsaffar, Rivers of Sound

Amir ElSaffar: Reaching Upward

Work length16:29

Album only

Amir Elsaffar, Rivers of Sound

Amir ElSaffar: Ashaa

Work length15:24

Album only

Amir Elsaffar, Rivers of Sound

Amir ElSaffar: Concentric

Work length5:11

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Amir Elsaffar, Rivers of Sound

Amir ElSaffar: Lightning Flash

Work length8:53

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Amir Elsaffar, Rivers of Sound

Amir ElSaffar: March

Work length6:00

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Amir Elsaffar, Rivers of Sound

Amir ElSaffar: Medmi (Epilogue)

Work length4:15

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Amir Elsaffar, Rivers of Sound

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About

Iraqi-American trumpeter, santur player, vocalist, and composer Amir ElSaffar is a visionary and a pioneer of cross-cultural musical exploration. His six-piece Two Rivers Ensemble, formed in 2006, was among the first projects to combine jazz with Iraqi Māqams. In 2015, ElSaffar expanded the group to form the 17 member Rivers of Sound. The orchestra’s 2017 release Not Two (New Amsterdam) was described by the New York Times as ‘an arresting debut album... full of momentum, but not in the way of a single moving thing. Instead, it seems to flow and spill across bounds’ and Pitchfork Magazine called it ‘... a towering statement of purpose—wise to many traditions, even while it remains accessible to anyone.’ With The Other Shore, Rivers of Sound’s second release, ElSaffar expands the group’s musical palette, exploring new territories, with complex rhythmic cells and microtonal melodies melding together in lush improvised textures created by the unique timbres of instruments and chemistry between the all-star musicians that make up this orchestra. Featured musicians include Fabrizio Cassol (alto saxophone), Nasheet Waits (drums), Miles Okazaki (guitar), Zafer Tawil (oud, percussion), Tareq Abboushi (buzuq), John Escreet (piano), and Ole Mathisen (tenor saxophone).

Reviews

November 2021

The net result is music that has a distinct immediacy if not urgency at times, and ElSaffar is to be commended for assembling and directing a band which somehow manages to capture the bustling, raucous feel of an AEC or vaguely Ra-ish ensemble all the while creating sophisticated suites that reflect the immense cultural riches that are to be found in the Arab world. Listening to this work on disc is a great pleasure. But that would probably be surpassed by hearing it on a crowded stage.

November 2021

There’s willful diversity of cultural and ethnic shores touched on, but the fundamental aspect of combining instrumental sonics — currents of sound — is critical element in ElSaffar’s palette.

The Other Shore

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