| The Astounding Eyes of Rita | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 25, 2009 | |||
| Recorded | October 2008 | |||
| Studio | Artesuono Studio Udine, Italy | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 52:17 | |||
| Label | ECM ECM 2075 | |||
| Producer | Manfred Eicher | |||
| Anouar Brahem chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Astounding Eyes of Rita is an album by Tunisian oud player and composer Anouar Brahem recorded for ECM in Italy, October 2008 and released on September 25, 2009. [1]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The Guardian |   [2] |
Writing for The Guardian , reviewer John Fordham observed "In recent years, Brahem's work has been more refined and reflective than groove-inclined, but this vivacious quartet set marks a return to the chemistry of Thimar , and it's a richly varied and often thrilling piece of world-jazz." [2]
Writing for All About Jazz, John Kelman noted "After two discs of sparer chamber music, it's great to hear Brahem back with a pulse; but with Meyer, Gesing, and Yassine as partners, he's retained the elusive mystery of albums like Le pas du chat noir (2002), making The Astounding Eyes of Rita his most aesthetically unified album to date." [3]
All tracks are written by Anouar Brahem
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Lover of Beirut" | 7:44 |
| 2. | "Dance with Waves" | 3:56 |
| 3. | "Stopover at Djibouti" | 6:34 |
| 4. | "The Astounding Eyes of Rita" | 8:41 |
| 5. | "Al Birwa" | 4:51 |
| 6. | "Galilee mon amour" | 7:17 |
| 7. | "Waking State" | 7:48 |
| 8. | "For No Apparent Reason" | 6:35 |
| Total length: | 52:17 | |
Rabih Abou-Khalil is an oud player and composer born in Lebanon, who combines elements of Arabic music with jazz, classical music, and other styles. He grew up in Beirut and moved to Munich, Germany, during the Lebanese Civil War in 1978.
John Douglas Surman is an English jazz saxophone, clarinet, and synthesizer player, and composer of free jazz and modal jazz, often using themes from folk music. He has composed and performed music for dance performances and film soundtracks.
Anouar Brahem is a Tunisian oud player and composer. He is widely acclaimed as an innovator in his field. Performing primarily for a jazz audience, he combines Arabic classical music, folk music and jazz and has been recording since at least 1991, after becoming prominent in his own country in the late 1980s.
Yesterdays is a live jazz album by Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, and Jack DeJohnette recorded in concert on April 30, 2001 at the Metropolitan Festival Hall in Tokyo and also at the sound-check recording of April 24, 2001 at the Orchard Hall in Tokyo that would give way to Always Let Me Go. It was released by ECM Records in 2009.
The Out-of-Towners is a live album by American jazz pianist Keith Jarrett recorded at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich on July 28, 2001 and released by ECM on August 30, 2004. Jarrett's trio—the Standards trio—features rhythm section Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette.
Grazing Dreams is the second album by American sitarist and composer Collin Walcott, recorded in February 1977 and released on ECM later that year. Walcott's quintet features trumpeter Don Cherry and rhythm section John Abercrombie, Palle Danielsson, and Dom Um Romão.
Madar is an album by Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek recorded in August 1992 and released on ECM in January 1994. The trio features Tunisian oud player Anouar Brahem—who wrote most of the album—and Pakistani tabla master Ustad Shaukat Hussain.
Barzakh is the debut album by Tunisian oud player Anouar Brahem, recorded in September 1990 and released on ECM the following year. The trio features violinist Béchir Selmi and percussionist Lassad Hosni.
Conte de l'incroyable amour is the second album by Tunisian oud player Anouar Brahem, recorded in October 1991 and released on ECM May the following year. The quartet features woodwind players Barbaros Erköse and Kudsi Erguner and percussionist Lassad Hosni.
Khomsa is the third studio album by Tunisian oud player Anouar Brahem, recorded in September 1994 and released on ECM the following year. The septet features accordionist Richard Galliano, pianist François Couturier, saxophonist Jean Marc Larché, violinist Béchir Selmi and rhythm section Palle Danielsson and Jon Christensen.
Thimar is an album by Tunisian oud player Anouar Brahem, recorded over three days in March 1997 and released on ECM the following year. The trio features reed player John Surman and bassist Dave Holland.
Astrakan café is an album by Tunisian oud player Anouar Brahem, recorded for ECM at the Propstei Sankt Gerold, Austria in June 1999 and released on September 18, 2000. Brahem's trio features clarinetist Barbaros Erköse and percussionist Lassad Hosni.
Le pas du chat noir is an album by Tunisian oud player Anouar Brahem recorded in July 2001 and released on ECM August the following year. The trio features pianist François Couturier and accordion player Jean-Louis Matinier.
Le voyage de Sahar is an album by Tunisian oud player Anouar Brahem recorded for ECM in February 2005 and released on February 24, 2006.
Restored, Returned is an album by Norwegian jazz pianist and composer Tord Gustavsen Ensemble recorded in January 2009 and released on ECM later that year.
Live is a live double-album by Swiss pianist Nik Bärtsch's band Ronin recorded in Europe and Japan between 2009 and 2011 and released on ECM in September 2012.
Baida is an album by trumpeter Ralph Alessi recorded in October 2012 and released on ECM September the following year. The quartet features rhythm section Jason Moran, Drew Gress and Nasheet Waits.
Souvenance is the first double album by Tunisian oud player Anouar Brahem, recorded in May 2014 and released on ECM a few months later on November 28.
Blue Maqams is the latest studio album by Tunisian oud player and composer Anouar Brahem, recorded in New York in May 2017 and released on ECM October that same year. The quartet features rhythm section Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette alongside pianist Django Bates.
Björn Meyer is a Swedish bassist and composer.
