Shabda : शब्द

A unique musical creation not less talented author – Chris Spheeris, guitarist, composer, author of many instrumental albums beautiful New Age music from Greece.

Unforgettable Sufis brings together the eternal poetry of mystic poets, Kabir Sahib and Hazrat Amir Khusrau. The evocative lyrics drawn from their poetry explore the myriad shades of love and spell the rich experience of musical ecstasy. The most fascinating aspect is that these renditions are blend with the melody of Indian Classical music, making this album a timeless gift of love for the yearning souls who long to be in communion with the divine.

There is nothing heavy or contemplative here, which is a nice change of pace from some of this well-recorded group’s more serious endeavors. The barbat, a five double-stringed, pear-shaped lute provides a bass mandolin-like sound. The setar, the small long-necked lute with moveable frets is the treble. The rhythm is emphasized by a goblet-shaped drum, the tombak.

It is perfect background for relaxing with a novel by the great Egyptian author Naguib Mahfoux, especially the classy and attractive performance by the Takht Ensemble of Cairo. Stringed instrument lovers will particularly enjoy the astounding oud solo by Gomaa Muhammed Ali. The recording quality is fat, bringing out certain low tones in the oud and drum in a way that reaches right for the gut.

Holm bi Fes (Dreams of Fez) is an extended, album-length suite for oud (short-necked lute) and strings. It is a kind of love letter to the Morrocan city where the work was premiered at the 1996 Fez Festival of Sacred Music), and it is suffused with a feeling of happiness that is infectious.