George Mgrdichian- The Now Sounds of the Middle East

dscn5385This was $4.00.  At the time,  I was looking for anything either Oud or Middle East related.  This album hits both points.  The inclusion of two “western” songs also sealed the deal, one of which will be sampled below. 360

To explain further how I got here, about two months ago I had insomnia on a Sunday night, the exact time slot when Turner Classic Movies play foreign films.  I like foreign films but the problem is at that time of night, I am half asleep and sometimes I nod off during the subtitles thus missing major plot happenings.  On this night however, I saw a documentary on the Moroccan band, Nas El Ghiwane.  It was called Trances.  It was pretty radical.  The band started in the 70’s by five avant garde actors.  One died in a car crash and the band continued as four.  The movie is on Youtube but without the subtitles which were very interesting.  I guess the point that would tie this to start of this paragraph was that since it was mostly music I could drift in and out of sleep without missing anything.

So at the time of purchase, I was really looking for Nas El Ghiwane records.   The use of a non traditional banjo style was the thing that hooked me. However, after combing the usual suspects, I was unable to find their records. This was the closest thing I could find.  It is an album that features the oud (rhymes with good).  It is an offshoot of the lute. The thing that really drew me to Nas was the banjo in place of the oud.  So, by my reasoning, I could listen to the oud and just copy the instrument on my banjo.george-mgrdichian-original-photo-oud-armenian-jazz-arab-1970-world-middle-east-be5a1f5c13b14928559d624f391c57cf

George Mgrdichian was born in Philadelphia to Armenian parents.in 1935.  He originally played clarinet in an Armenian band.  However, when the oud player was drafted into the military, Mgdichian picked up the ball and ran with it.  Self taught, he developed a revolutionary style and set out to expand the West’s exposure to the Oud much like Segovia and the classical guitar or Ravi Shankar and the sitar.  He would play solo or with various ensembles.  He also released a handful of albums.  Mgrdichian would die from cancer in 2006.  He was 71.

Mgrdichian’s Obit

This album is pretty good.  The songs are all pretty interesting as well as short.  The music on it comes from Turkey, Israel, Greece, and Armenia.  There are also two modern tunes given the eastern treatment, the Beatles’ “Yesterday” and Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five”. If you have been reading this blog for awhile, you should know I like things fast.  This album does not disappoint in this respect.  Mgrdichian tears thru oud lines at a breakneck speed.  dscn5386

In terms of samples, I am being being lazy by posting a few of them.  First off is the Turkish “Sultan Yoga”and “Shenez Longa”.  Next is the Greek “Marinella” which is mashed up with one of the most recognizable pieces of music, Beethoven’s ninth.  Finally, because it is one of the most iconic songs written in the last century, I present Brubeck’s “Take Five”.performers-georgemgrdichian1

I really like this record.  Top Rated. I am still looking somewhat for a Nas El Ghiwane album because I really want to write a post on them.  However, I am shifting away from banjo and back to country guitar so I am less hot on them as I was two months ago.