Maza Meze [Import]

1. Shangrila-La-La

2. Julio Lumo

3. Fonès

4. Birdos

5. From the Ends of the Earth

6. Déjà Vu

7. Song for a Hard Day

8. Anatolí

9. Mawwal

10. In the Heart

Tracks:

Secrets/Asrar
Such Eyes/Ces Yeux
Bahia Out
Loula Mou
Fall Down
Se Nur
Polifoniko
Ya Amar (O Moon/Lune)
Malkar Medley: Malkar/Sunrise/Kori Ke Nios
Shammusa Remix [*]

Album Description

Secrets of the Moon is the second CBC Records CD by the outstanding world music ensemble Maza Mezé. Maza Mezé (Greek and Arabic words for an assortment of appetizers) is an eclectic collection of some of Toronto's finest musical improvisers and innovators. The ensemble uses their explorations into traditional music from Greece and the Middle East as a launching pad for their own unique and original sound. Maza Mezé invited some very special musical guests to the recording sessions. Trichy Sankaran is a worldrenowned percussion virtuoso, Indian music scholar, and composer. His daughter Suba Sankaran is a fabulous vocalist and percussionist. John Wyre is one of the founding members of Nexus, but has moved on to devoting his time to composition. Take this incredible talent and add it to the vocals of Jayne Brown, Jennifer Moore, Maryem Hassan Tollar and Sophia Grigoriadis and accompanying instrumentalists Ernie Tollar, John Gzowski, Debashis Sinha and Jeff Wilson, and the results are nothing short of amazing.

Average customer rating:

eclectic mix of music

Maza Meze
Hypnotica
Manufacturer: Cbc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00006LI4Q
Release Date: 2002-10-22

Tracks:

Shammusa
Elli
Mavra Dhakria
Les Yeux Du Matin
Flor Misteriosa
Heartsoul
Margarita
Waterlily
Leli We Ya Ya
Golden
Tvist

Customer Reviews:

eclectic mix of music.......2003-05-19

I first heard this group Canada (on CBC!) and since have been mesmerized by its beauty. I was particularly impressed by the multicultural mix of African, Middle Eastern and Indian music interpreted with French, Spanish and English lyrics. The final result is spellbounding!

Average customer rating:

Greek and Arabic Threads Delightfully Woven

Maza Meze
Maza Mezé
Manufacturer: Festival Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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International | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000056KVH
Release Date: 2000-12-07

Tracks:

Shangrila-La-La
Julio Lumo
Fon
Birdos
From the Ends of the Earth
D Vu
Song for a Hard Day
Anatol
Mawwal
In the Heart

Customer Reviews:

Greek and Arabic Threads Delightfully Woven.......2001-04-03

The Maza Meze gang (Maza meaning "appetizers" in Arabic, Meze meaning "appetizers" in Greek) have once again prepared a fresh and tasty offering that combines the soulful sounds of Greek rembetika (urban acoustic guitar blues), the trance-like ululations of Arabic singers like the late great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and the funky chick sensibility of folksters like Ani DiFranco or Shawn Colvin. This may sound impossible, but in fact the combination is easy on the ear. Described by critics as a "vocal powerhouse", Maza Meze's new album is the most refreshing sound recording I've heard in years.

For "Brand New Threads", each member of this unique Toronto-based nine-person band was asked to compose a song based on his or her own cultural heritage. The group then arranged and performed each song in styles similar to those on their last album "Unleavened". This time the sounds are crisper and the vocals more joyfully precise. In fact, the group's original songs on "Brand New Threads" seem as timeless as the ancient Arabic and Greek folk songs that they brought to life on their previous album.

The lyric of the first song, "Shangrila-La-La" is actually an original composition in the Swedish language by one of the band members whose family traces its roots to that Northern country. Brought to life by a stunning Arabic harmonic chorus, it's hard to listen this one to without tapping your toes and rejoicing in cultural fusion. "Song for A Hard Day" imports Banghra rhythms to great effect, while "Julio Lumo", one of the album's two songs written in Esperanto (!), is a truly moving folk ballad that avoids cloyness or sentimentality. The only missteps, ironically enough, are some of the lyrics of the only two English-language songs on the album, which veer into multicultural didacticism ("Church, synagogue or mosque/[...]The heart is the only one..."). However even these missteps reflect what can only be described as a genuine and heartfelt project to build bridges between warring cultures.

Maza Meze is indeed a musical powerhouse; each member of the group plays several instruments extremely well, bringing a rich musicality to each song, and pairing perfect instruments--both ancient and new--with each composition, all the while blending harmoniously. (Did I mention that the harmonies can make your head spin?)

If Maza Meze didn't exist, they'd have to be invented by some sort of council on Greek/Arabic/Jewish/South Asian/Gypsy/European musical cooperation. Fortunately, Maza Meze does exist: and not as a council's decree, either. They are a genuine and welcome infusion into the "World Music" movement--an infusion that is here to stay. Catch them on the way up!

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rock music

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