Anouar Brahem – After The Last Sky (ECM, 2025)
Eight years after Blue Maqams, Tunisian oud player and composer Anouar Brahem returns with After The Last Sky, a quartet recording featuring bassist Dave Holland, pianist Django Bates, and, for the first time in Brahem’s group work, cellist Anja Lechner. The album continues Brahem’s long-standing exploration of the intersections between Arab musical modes, jazz improvisation, and European classical tradition.
The title draws from a line by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish and echoes themes of exile and memory, which informed the creative context of the album. Though politically aware, Brahem emphasizes that his instrumental music is intended to evoke emotion rather than convey explicit messages.
The repertoire highlights Brahem’s lyrical compositional style and his evolving interest in combining ancient modal systems with contemporary harmonic textures. “The Eternal Olive Tree” captures the intimate chemistry between Brahem and Holland, a partnership dating back to Thimar (1998).
On the other hand, tracks like “Endless Wandering” and “Dancing Under the Meteorites” exemplify the ensemble’s dynamic range, with Holland’s bass often catalyzing Brahem’s most expressive, virtuosic playing.
Anja Lechner’s cello bookends the album, beginning with the elegiac “Remembering Hind” and closing with “Vague,” a recurring Brahem piece heard here in a quietly graceful rendition. Her improvisational fluency and longstanding familiarity with Brahem’s work (including collaborations with pianist François Couturier) make her a prominent and responsive voice throughout.
Django Bates, reprising his role from Blue Maqams, provides understated yet essential support. His restrained presence reinforces the album’s sense of flow, culminating in a spirited solo on “Awake” that balances delicacy and invention.
Recorded at the acoustically rich Auditorio Stelio Molo in Lugano.
Buy After The Last Sky.
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.