Track Listing

1. Dusk
2. Bat Dance
3. Nightfall
4. Ugo in Love
5. Chess with Mal
6. Thing That Came Out of the Swamp
7. Dawn
8. And Finally ... The Oasis

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #492464 in Music
• Released on: 1994-01-31
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

Middle-East Fusion
"Between Dusk And Dawn" was originally recorded in 1986, and released in 1987. The style is a blend of middle-east style music with jazz improvisation, which makes for an interesting combination. Rabih Abou-Khalil composed all the pieces on this album, although "The Thing That Came Out Of The Swamp" was a joint effort with Michael Armann. "Nightfall" and "Dawn" are two of my favorite pieces on the album.

The musicians bring a wide variety of instruments, which clearly has a large influence on the sound and feel of each track. The musicians are: Rabih Abou-Khalil (oud, flute), Charlie Mariano (soprano and alto saxophones), Glenn Moore (bass), Glen Velez (frame drums, darabukka, percussion, overtone singing), Ramesh Shotham (South Indian percussion), Christian Burchard (marimba), and Michael Armann (piano).

middle eastern sounds + jazz = listening satisfaction
Rabih Abou-Khalil's CD covers tend to be remarkable artistic accomplishments. The graphics set the mood for what is usually the equally outstanding music contained within. Out of Abou-Khalil's discography, the cover for "Between Dusk and Dawn" may be the most ordinary. While the cover may be the least interesting, the music is as exquisite as the rest of Abou-Khalil's esteemed discography. The style of music fits Abou-Khalil's signature sound that combines Middle Eastern sounds with jazz. In this environment, the oud is accompanied by a large group that echoes ensembles played in Northern Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and Turkey. Acting as bookends, 'Dusk' is the first track while 'Dawn' almost closes the experience. Everything else is what happens "Between Dusk and Dawn." 'Bat Dance' is a fast piece that features a challenging arrangement. In this composition, the drums really shine. The most unusual song may be 'The Thing That Came Out Of The Swamp.' While different because it features a marimba, it is the avant-garde improvisation that sets the piece apart. As expected, there are many times when the group gives Abou-Khalil space to showcase the oud. Indeed, "Between Dusk and Dawn" features a balance of slow and fast tempo music. Charlie Mariano's saxophones often recall Jan Garbarek's work on albums like "Ragas and Sagas" and "Madar." While the concept was inspired by the evening, "Between Dusk and Dawn" is another Rabih Abou-Khalil disc that sounds great at any time.

First of the many
This is the first of the many great albums delivered to us Mr. Abou-Khalil with its flowing river of musical inventions firmly rooted to the Arabic tradition but still succeeding to reveal an expression and voice of its own.
The opening act, Dusk, clicking at 14.15,starts slowly and yearningly to end a day. It transforms into a strong form full of precise themes and almost sing-along tunes.
Nightfall, the third track, evokes eerie, Saharian atmosphere I would reckon?, with its magnificent flute playing by the master himself.
Ugo In Love - what a title for a song! - is a fast groovy thing where first Charlie Mariano gives us a little show-piece with his saxophone and then Abou-Khalil finishes the song off with his fast strumming of the oud.
There is one outlier in this album and that is the joint venture "The Thing That Came Out Of The Swamp" which is composed by A-K and the pianist Armann with arrangement by the musicians. This is clearly the weakest song of the lot because it sounds too jazzy familiar and standard.
Anyway, finally we get to the end of the CD with "Dawn" to let the first rays of the new day to shine upon us and reveal us with the ending "And Finally ... The Oasis" where we really are. A fine twelve or so hours it has been!