Mehmet Polat – The Promise (Aftab Records, 2020)
Turkish composer and ud virtuoso Mehmet Polat continues his marvelous explorations of Middle Eastern music, flamenco and jazz on his new album The Promise. Throughout the album, Polat showcases his skill as an innovative ud player.
Although there is no full ensemble on all pieces, Polat invited various guests. Many of the tracks feature fantastic interaction between the ud and various types of Middle Eastern, global percussion and flamenco beats.
The guests on the album included Alper Kekeç on frame drums and darbuka; Cemil Qocgiri on tenbur; Daniel van Huffelen on bass; Elnur Mikayılov on kamancha; Joan Terol Amigo on drums; Mikail Aslan on vocals and clarinet; Ruven Ruppik on cajón, bombo legüero, snare, doira, gome, udu, effects, cymbals and palmas; Shwan Sulaiman on vocals; and Sinan Arat on ney.
Buy The Promise
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
Something beautifully elemental and profound in this. Love it.