Souvenance

Here, preeminent oud player Anouar Brahem returns with the double-length Souvenance after a six-year gap. As with past efforts, the Tunisian artist balances the organic traditional and starkly modern sounds using a blend of rigorous musicianship on his lute-based instrument and compositions informed by jazz and classical music. Typically working in small group settings, he expands for the first time to include string arrangements, and he does so most effectively on tracks like “Nouvelle Vague” and “January.” Brahem shines as a player on “Ashen Sky” and the dancing “Tunis at Dawn.”