Serpent’s Garden: Hypnotic Sounds From The East by Mosavo
www.caravanrecords.com/
Reviewed by Denise Mannion www.pangiaraks.com/
As this exotic looking CD jacket states: Serpent’s Garden is the collaboration of Mosaves Panossian, producer and arranger and Avo Arutunian, master musician and owner of Music Workshop Studios. Mher Panossian is the executive producer.
“Serpent’s Garden is a symphony of sounds from all over the Middle East, North Africa, South America, Central Asia and Eastern Europe”. Princess Farhana’s (Pleasant Gehman’s) liner notes explain. “Mosavo has taken indigenous folk songs and Arabic classical music and stamped his very own trademark onto the mixes. The result is an awesome combination of percussive beats, dynamic vocals, ethnic and tribal traditions and modern studio know-how and pure flights of fancy”, she adds.
Given the diverse music groups that Mosavo collaborated with, I was unsure what I was going to be listening to as I opened the CD. As I listened, I wrote my thoughts of this truly cross-cultural endeavor. As a dancer and a musician, when I sit down, relax and listen to music, I see pictures, stories, and sometimes even movies. If you will indulge the right side of my brain for a few moments, I will endeavor to share my opinions. The music must create these for me in order to become inspired to dance, play music or just listen.
· Mystic Caravan - a very lyrical yet haunting melody enhanced by buzuk. As the music progresses, the rhythm becomes more compelling, eventually coming full circle back to the original theme. Definitely an inspiration for your tribal choreography.
· Goddess Chant - Trance, Zar like rhythm combines with dramatic accents. The Nay providing a beguiling melody. It has a somewhat hypnotic, reggae feeling with the chanting drawing you inward in an almost spiritual journey.
· Serpent’s Rapture – Beginning with a stellar violin taxsim to set the mood, the oud joins in. A medium paced Chiftitelli ensues,with vocals, oud and violin interplaying, calling and answering, begging you to move smoothly and sensually.
· Teasing Way – A fantasy of alternative fusion with a beautiful melody developing. It conjures visions of a bejeweled princess making her way through a misty glade, winding her way back to the palace where her sultan awaits.
· Sapurey’s Mantra - with Setrak Sarkassian. If you are new to belly dancing, no matter what your style of dance, you should know about Setrak and all of the many CDs he has created for dancers. This piece begins with a sinewy taksim indroduction. It brought to mind a sword dance with floor work; first a single dancer, then a second and perhaps more dancers joining adding to, and becoming the melody and the music in an exotic presentation.
· Havasi The Minstel – This is perhaps one of the most soulful and haunting, yet ethereal sounding tracks on this CD. The duduk, made of apricot wood, will tear at your heartstrings and stimulate your creative mind. Interspersed with stately interludes, this track will stretch your imagination. If you are at all thinking of choreographing a piece with Egyptian wings, this will totally inspire you.
· Drum Seduction – If you do not know who Eddie ‘The Shiek’ Kochak is, please pay strict attention. Most importantly, Mr. Eddie Kochak, as his business card states, is alive and well. Now in his eighties, he is responsible for Belly Dancing becoming so popular in the United States. Make no mistake, his ‘Ameraba’ sound made the music available to everyone beginning in the early 1970’s. Until Eddie’s extreme contribution, if you were interested in belly dance and did not have the luxury of a live band, you were reduced to searching, and I mean searching, out the few stores who carried Middle Eastern recordings. Samiramis in San Francisco and Rashid Sales in Brooklyn, New York were two of my haunts in the early days. Most of the albums had the song tracks, and album notes all written in Arabic. There was not much available for someone who did not know Arabic. It was always a gamble when you wanted to find new music. Maybe one or two songs on an album would be something that you might be able to dance to. There was not the amazing selection of music that you find today. There were no ‘teaching’ tools, dvd’s or even videos. Eddie’s albums had entire routines on them. They were well recorded and are still used today.
In addition to being a drummer, Eddie was and still is a promoter of the art form. Most of all, he is a living legend, in the sense that he is a true Icon of the art form. If you think that Belly Dance Superstars have it totally knocked, think again. I can remember attending a dinner show in New York City in the late seventies at the Galicia Club. There were over 800 people present. A totally amazing show with Eddie Kochak’s band and many dancers. Talk about taking it to the people! Even if you don’t use his music, the fact that you are dancing at all and accepted by your audiences in the U.S.A. is because of his efforts. Please thank him profusely!
Okay, so I digressed for a moment.
Back to DRUM SEDUCTION: Not what you are used to hearing as of late, it is a slower paced, yet majestically rich composition with many layers of sounds and rhythms changes. Enjoy and experience Eddie Kochak. Most of the body of work he created along with the incredibly soulful violin of Haki Obadia and other musicians is now available on CDs.
· Spellbound – Mysterious, deep vocals, a solid chiftitelli, the slithering violin of Badr Dbaah; all conjoin to make this a perfect selection for your sinewy ultra fusion production.
· Rumi’s Passion – The Anatolia Ensemble provides the instrumentation for this classical sounding piece. Imagine a scene from the 16th century Ottoman court. Flickering lights in hand painted amphoras, illuminating the colored silks and jewels of the court guests, the sultan presiding over the lush surroundings.
· Lonely Star By The Sea – The beautiful candle lit tiled room, that starlit night. The breeze fluttering the gauzy curtains, the sound of the waves beyond the balcony. The woman dressed in cobalt silk is gazing out towards the sea as she thinks of her lost love. Even the piano cannot roust her from her reverie.
· Cirque Du Flame – So you think you can ‘Fire Dance’? The liability insurance is paid in full and all the flammable ‘stuff’ is out of your reach. Go for it! A wonderful piece of music to perform that ‘Fire Poi’ routine you’ve been aching to try out. Hot.
· Across the Bosphorus – As the duduk again tries to rip your heart out during the introduction, the sexy vocals and percussion urge you on to create a dramatic sword dance, snake, dance or????
This CD is a collection of the colorful tapestries of music that represent much more than the music of the Middle East. Although many of the pieces on it could be used to create, tribal, fusion, fantasy and/or classical dances, even thematic, dramatic presentations, I believe many people who are not dancers would take pleasure in listening to this creative collaboration.
This is not your everyday ‘Belly Dance’ CD but make sure you add it to your collection!
*Read More about Denise Mannion on the Staff Page!