live stuff: world routes at the barbican, 26/5/07

On Saturday I went along to a live broadcast of Lucy Duran's excellent Radio 3 programme "World Routes", part of the Barbican's programme of events preluding Sunday's World Music Awards concert (watch/listen to this on the Radio 3 website). Surprisingly poorly attended, given that it featured free performances by two of this year's award winners. Maurice El Medioni's "piano orientale" is an interesting mix of Algerian and American styles developed in the bars of Oran during the in the years immediately following the end of WW2 when U.S. GIs were still in the city. Lebanese Ghada Shbeir's set of Arabo-Andalusian love songs, backed by some accomplished musicians (on ney, oud, mandolin, violin and percussion), received an equally enthusiastic reception from all present.