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"Saltanah" features Vishwa Mohan Bhatt on the mohan vina (an instrument of his own design based on the guitar) and Simon Shaheen on the oud. We will briefly review Simon Shaheen.

"Both Arabian and Indian art music are based on a modal tone system and are subject to the maqam and raq phenomenon, a unique type of improvisation that is common to both secular and sacred Arabian and Indian music.
...This recording presents two musicians with the gift of musical conceptualization who merge their skills to create a blending of the Indian raq and the Arabian maqam, both of which rest on non-tempered scales that paraphrase tonal-spatial modes and convey moods that move the listener.
Heir to the legacy of Zaryab, Simon Shaheen, a virtuoso of both the ud and the violin, is a musical of rare skill who has done much in the last decade to preserve the greatness of Arab art music. Born in Palestine, he is the son of Professor Hikmat Shaheen, a renowned composer and teacher of Near Eastern music. Having begun his musical education with his father on the ud, Simon was admitted to the Haifa Conservatory at the age of six to study Western classical performance, specializing on the violin. His exceptional musical abilities enabled him to lead his father's ensemble while still in his teens. Having graduated from the Academy of Music in Jerusalem in 1978, he was appointed instructor of Near Eastern music theory and performance. Settled in New York since 1980, Simon holds graduate degrees in music performance and composition from the Manhattan School of Music as well in music education and musicology from Columbia University. Leading his own Near Eastern Music Ensemble, an outstanding group of Arab musicians, he and his group have performed to great acclaim throughout the world." (written by Kavichandran Alexander, from CD's program notes)

"Saltanah" was released by Water Lily Acoustics. They have a web-site where you can purchase this CD and see their catalog. You also can find this CD in some of the on-line distributors, we have links to these distributors on our "Oud CDs" page.

Anouar Brahem:
Conte de l'incroyable amour

Rabih Abou-Khalil:
Earlier Works

Anouar Brahem:
Thimar

Rabih Abou-Khalil:
Later Works

Marcel Khalife, Al Mayadine:
Jadal / Oud Duo

Juan Martin:
Musica Alhambra

Simon Shaheen,
Vishwa Mohan Bhatt:
Saltanah

Ahmed Abdul-Malik:
East meets West