The sage musicality of Australian oud player and composer, Joseph Tawadros, is demonstrated at full strength on his latest album, World Music as he enlists an array of intriguing instruments from across the planet to create richly textured global landscapes. The album moves easily from hypnotic rhythms to subtle stillness, from exhilarating dances to swaggering grooves. It can be ethereal, sensual and joyful, all united by Joseph's integral musicianship.
With a palette of diverse sounds including cello, charango, trombone, tanbura, tenor saxophone, Cuban tres, qanun, trumpet, accordion and hulusi flute, Joseph forges his own odyssey across cultures, traditions, borders and time, playing multiple instruments alongside his oud. His brother, the acclaimed percussionist James Tawadros, extends Joseph's compositions with skillful playing across 11 instruments.
"This album is totally different to anything I've done before," Joseph says. "As well as the oud, I'm playing a range of other wonderful instruments. Music is a part of my being - I live and breathe it - and this record is my attempt to transfer that energy and life into these other instruments as well as my beloved oud. "
Joseph's renowned technical skill as a virtuoso player is not the focus of the World Music album. On this set, he also plays instruments on which he has limited technique as a means to draw out raw, unpolished gems of music from the places, cultures and people that inspired him since beginning his travels almost 20 years ago, at age 13. In that time he has played the oud in concert in the Middle East, Europe, India, China, US, Japan and Australia and worked closely with traditional and contemporary musicians from dozens of cultures and countries.
"For the 'World Music' album, I immersed myself in a range of genres, drawing upon my previous collaborations - practicing, adapting, improvising - letting my technical limitations on each instrument guide the course of the compositions. This is a very organic way of music making, letting the spirit of each instrument flow through me without striving for virtuosity."
'World Music' is a soundtrack to the mind where music inspires imagination. Essentially, this is what binds us: No matter where we're from, we are not so different."
Joseph Tawadros: oud, banjo, bouzouki, charango, Cuban tres, domra, lute, mandolin, Portugese guitar, sarod, saz, strum stick, tanbura, tenor, ukulele, nylon string guitar, steel string guitar, electric guitar, bass oud, prepared oud, violin, electric violin, rababah, fiddle, viola, cello, double bass, acoustic bass, electric bass, qanun, celtic harp, nay, hulusi flute, clarinet, cornet, trombone, alto saxophone, accordion, harmonica, piano, kalimba, waterphone, angklung, clave, chimes, meditation chimes, Tibetan singing bowl, bowed saw, drum kit, children's glockenspiel, Irish whistle, tenor whistle, vocals.
James Tawadros: req, bendir, cajon, face percussion, darrabuka, tambourine, angklung, triangle, chimes, waterphone, Indian tabla.
World Music is Joseph's 13th Album and will be launched on 14th April in Sydney.
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