Category Archives: CD Reviews

New York Free Quartet

CD Review: New York Free Quartet

New York Free QuartetArtist: New York Free Quartet
Title: Free Play
Label: self produced
Genre: jazz/contemporary

CD Review by Dawoud Kringle

What happens when you combine four master musicians who believe in the redemptive healing power of music, have devoted their lives to perfecting their craft, and to bringing it to the public? You get the New York Free Quartet.

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Mehmet Polat “Ageless Garden” CD Isssss Outttt!

Mehmet PolatArtist: Mehmet Polat
Title: Ageless Garden
Label: Aftab Rec
Genre: oriental music/oud music

Review by Dawoud Kringle

The word “Hasret”is an Urdu word (derived from the Arabic word “Hasrah”) meaning “unfulfilled wish,” and a popular term for Urdu poets in India and Pakistan. “Hasret,” is also the first track on Mehmet Polat’s new CD Ageless Garden. The opening notes of Polat’s oud speak in a quiet yet authoritative voice against a subtle percussion background. As the piece progresses, unusual melodies and startling harmonies create an emotional intensity that eloquently expresses the longing within an unfulfilled desire. It ends with a return to the introductory melodies, except with a sad resignation.

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