Phil Gunter - Meluke

Order Number PGCD2005

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CD review - Phil Gunter is a Melbourne-based musician who specialises in Turkish and Arabic oud music, as well as medieval and renaissance music for lute. Philip was a founding member of the medieval group Cantigas, and has also contributed to the Al Jadida and Yalla! ensembles. On this album he presents a captivating collection of solo pieces for oud (Arabic lute), with occasional self-accompaniment on various Arabic and Indian percussion. This is a very intimate recording, capturing the oud at its purest, unadorned by other instrumentation and laid bare to the ear in all its throaty beauty. There are moments where the listener is placed so close to the action you can hear spectral harmonics resonating from within the instrument’s body. Gunter attacks and cajoles the instrument with authority, moving from sombre, stately reflections to whirling dervish improvisations and back again. The compositions are a mix of Gunter’s originals (drawn from traditional Turkish / Arabic influences), and interpretations of traditional pieces from Ottoman classical and Indian music. This is music born of spiritual reflection so there is plenty of improvisation, and without a technical understanding of the musical form it’s hard to discern any particular structure in some pieces, but this evokes its own journey. The deep organic tone of the oud is a pleasure in itself and Gunter’s relaxed mastery of its range provides many atmospheres on this album. Often I looked up to find myself sipping mint tea in a shaded corner of a kasbah. I particularly like the tracks combining oud with the percussion (darabouka, mrdung, riqq and Rajasthani drum) – the rhythm really helps to drive the oud forward, and provides good textural contrast to the album. The original ‘For Harb’, dedicated to Gunter’s wife, is particularly successful at this and really gallops along with a fiery tabla accompaniment. Another welcome contrast is the final track ‘Om Namo’, in which Gunter relinquishes the oud to play another Middle Eastern string instrument, the saz. This instrument sings with a thin shimmering drone, almost the polar opposite of the oud, and immediately lightens the air with its fine crystalline sound. This release is a great document of Gunter’s ability in what is a complex musical form, with honest production that is authentic to the personality of the oud. A worthy addition to any world music collection, and another fine feather in Phil Gunter’s musical turban. Bradfield Dumpleton 2008

"My CD release Meluke is music for solo oud with some percussion included. It includes my own compositions as well as some traditional Arabic pieces from the Turkish Ottoman period including taqsims or improvised sections. My aesthetic for this cd was to feature the oud in a clear and uncluttered manner. I am a solo oud player who has studied oud in New York with Simon Shaheen as well as studies in Egypt Turkey and Morocco. I play traditional pieces in the traditional manner as well as compose my own pieces with respect to the traditional Middle Eastern styles from which I draw." - Phil Gunter.