Global Music Column – May

Dudu Tassa & Jonny Greenwood – Jarak Qaribak

On their debut album, Israeli bandleader Dudu Tassa and Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood fashion their own imagining of a modern Middle Eastern songbook, enlisting guest vocalists to produce new arrangements of tracks from Jordan, Algeria, Egypt and Morocco.

The pair have form in updating folk traditions. Tassa’s group, Dudu Tassa and the Kuwaitis, have been performing versions of Iraqi standards since 2011, while Greenwood’s 2015 collaboration with the Rajasthan Express, Junun, paired sufi vocals with north Indian brass instrumentation and drum machines. On Jarak Qaribak (Your Neighbour Is Your Friend), the duo harness this experience to create an enduring and engaging take on the love songs of the region.

Read the review in the Guardian.

[This piece was published on 26/05/23]