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Mahawara (The Fugue) is an enchanting piece of music found on Ahmed Abdul-Malik’s1960 East Meets West LP, which was issued on RCA records. Released in 1960, it was the second record from the US jazz double bassist and oud player and features some of his most mesmerising performances that were recorded in 1959.
Known for fusing Middle Eastern and North African music in his jazz-based creations and described as a “hard bop bassist of Arabic and African music”, Abdul-Malik was active from the mid 1950s to the mid 1960s. In that time he recorded half a dozen albums as a leader and played bass with an array of artists, including the likes of Art Blakey, Earl Hines, Randy Weston, and Thelonious Monk, among others.
As the dark, rich and very hypnotic sounds of Mahawara (The Fugue) reaches out, they seem to seep into the soul with their otherworldly and entwining tones, so bewitching is this incantation. It’s a little beauty that will take you places…Check it out above.
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