ahmed abdul-malik and chick ganimian Oud Vibrations: East Meets West With Ahmed Abdul-Malik and Chick Ganimian (CD, £7.95)

Oud Vibrations brings together two complete albums from the late 1950s, which sit at the meeting point of eastern and western cultures, instruments and styles. Featuring Ahmed Abdul-Malik’s super rare ‘East Meets West’, (an evocative tapestry of structured raga-styled music set off against some classic jazz horn breaks) and the rare debut album ‘Come With Me To The Casbah’ from Charles ‘Chick’ Ganimian (a hybrid of Armenian and American cultures that touched on rock ‘n’ roll with the single ‘Daddy Lolo’ as Ganim And The Asia Minors, which was a minor US radio hit.) Remastered and with sleevenotes written by MOJO magazine’s Dave Henderson, these vintage buried treasures from two unsung heroes of jazz create an intriguing set of sounds that should appeal to lovers of space age pop and exotica as well as jazz enthusiasts and fans of Yusef Lateef, Paul Horn, Alice Coltrane and Terry Riley. Cross-cultural unions and collisions of musical instruments always bring about intriguing other worldly ambiences. The oud’s distinctive sound, and its traditional swirling, percussive backdrop was a malleable commodity that dovetailed neatly into Jazz music and early rock ‘n’ roll. It sounded truly different when it was introduced to tackle old standards. The instrument itself is a pear-shaped stringed affair, which looks like a sawn-off psychedelic guitar. The late great Ahmed Abdul-Malik was part of the New York Jazz scene in the mid-‘50s, where his double bass acted as foil for Art Blakey, John Coltrane, Zoot Sims and Thelonius Monk, among many others. Of Sudanese descent, he had a penchant for the roots music of his on ‘East Meets West’ from 1959. The music is rich and heady, a multi-layered set of tonal grooves that are wrapped tight beneath the melody lines. Charles ‘Chick’ Ganimian was an Armenian American who played only record as a bandleader was ‘Come With Me To The Casbah’; an exotic slice of mystery, which comprises tracks nine to 20 in this collection. The album features the hit single ‘Daddy Lolo’ as well as a superb reading of classics ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ and ‘My Funny Valentine’. Like Abdul-Malik’s album, it’s super rare in its original vinyl form, an even deeper, swirling set of textures that are completely enveloping. Ahmed Abdul-Malik’s ability to fuse Western Jazz with the driving rhythms created by his oud that seems almost sequenced, are startling. Ganimian’s swing phrasings added to his sensuous, evocative song structures make both of these sets landmark recordings, where two cultures clashed and the result was a supremely different kind of music. Track listing : (Ahmed-Abdul Malik) : 1. E-Lail (The Night) 2. La Ilbky (Don't Cry) 3. Takseem (Solo) 4. Searchin' 5. Isma'a (Listen) 6. Rooh (The Soul) 7. Mahawara 8. El Ghada (The Jungle)……. (Charles ‘Chick’ Ganimian) 9. Oriental Jam 10. Over The Rainbow - Gene Vincent And His Blue Caps 11. The Whirling Dervish 12. Play Girl Play 13. Swingin' The Blues 14. Daddy Lolo 15. My Funny Valentine 16. Come With Me To The Casbah 17. Hedy Lou (Where Are You) 18. Hayastan Moods 19. Halvah (Halvaje) 20. Nine Eight