Ghazi & Boom.Diwan x Arturo O’Farrill- Live in the Khaleej! (self released, 2025)
Lest you doubt the infinite possibilities for fusion in the global music realm, wrap your ears around this sumptuous recording that explores the sonic common ground between Afro-Cuban jazz and… (I find myself having to fight the urge to say “wait for it” right now) Kuwaiti pearl diving music.
Guitarist and music professor Ghazi Faisal Al-Mulaifi was intrigued by the fact that music was a big part of Kuwaiti pearl divers lives until the practice of pearl diving ceased entirely in the mid-1950s. He teamed with pianist Arturo O’Farrill, a battery of percussionists, bass, drums and reeds, and the result is music as impressive in its artistry as it is engaging in its intricacy.
The rhythmic and melodic threads that link the Middle East and Latin America are taken to new levels as an interlocked wall of percussion is graced by varying degrees through Ghazi’s and O’Farrill’s tasty chops and the equal finesse of the other players. Comprised of only five lengthy tracks but wonderful at every turn, Live in the Khaleeji! is superb.
Musicians: Ghazi Al-Mulaifi on guitar and vocals; Arturo O’Farrill on piano; Jasper Shogo Dutz on winds; Liany Mateo on bass; Claude Cozens on drums; Hamad Ben Hussain on percussion; Hamad Saeed on percussion; Abdullah Al-Mutairi on percussion; and Mohammad Al-Mudhafar on percussion.
Buy Live in the Khaleeji.
Author: Tom Orr
Tom Orr is a California-based writer whose talent and mental stability are of an equally questionable nature. His hobbies include ignoring trends, striking dramatic poses in front of his ever-tolerant wife and watching helplessly as his kids surpass him in all desirable traits.