May 12, 2006

Rabih Abou-Khalil/Joachim Kühn

Journey to the Centre of an Egg
Enja/JustinTime JENJ-3324-2

Despite appearances, this is not one of those World Music love fests. Instead Journey to the Centre of an Egg tries for something rarer. Its eight tracks find common musical ground between Beirut-born oudist Rabih Abou-Khalil and Leipzig-born pianist Joachim Kühn.

The reason why much of the CD works is because the sound-view of both men has been informed by more influences beyond the obvious. In the Lebanese lute player’s case, it’s notated European and improvised music; for the German pianist, it’s traditional classical music and variations of jazz from acoustic mainstream to fusion. Luckily the last doesn’t appear here, although there are times Kühn’s flashing octaves coupled with drum work from Jarrod Cagwin emphasize rock-like beats a bit too much. MORE