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Voice of Mesopotamia

by: Farida & The Iraqi Maqam Ensemble

Release Date January 13, 2004
The art of Iraqi maqam reached its ultimate refinement during the golden age of the Abbasid dynasty in Baghdad, a key city on the borders of the Arab, Turkish and Persian worlds. Used by classical and popular musicians, it was not only favored by the local aristocracy in their music rooms, but also used at religious celebrations and Sufi ceremonies. Unusually, it is sung here by a woman accompanied an ensemble playing santur, a hammer dulcimer, and the four-stringed djoza.

-- review from CDroots