After the Last Sky [2 LP]

by Anouar Brahem

Overview

Oudist and composer Anouar Brahem has kept a low profile since 2017's Blue Maqams. He appeared with Anja Lechner and Francois Couturier on Lontano, but has otherwise been absent. Brahem enlists longtime collaborator/bassist Dave Holland and pianist Django Bates -- both appeared on Blue Maqams. Lechner appears in place of the last album's drummer, Jack DeJohnette, and is the first cellist to appear on one of Brahem's LPs. Recorded in Switzerland, it was produced by Manfred Eicher. The album's name echoes the title of a 1986 book by cultural critic, activist, and author Edward Said, and was derived from a line by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish: "Where should the birds fly, after the last sky?" Begun before October 6, 2023, it is nonetheless deeply inspired by the horror and suffering experienced by Palestinians in Gaza. Brahem wrote new compositions and reworked some of the earlier ones to communicate and evoke raw emotion about this situation. Lechner's poignant cello is primary, up front. She and Brahem move through Eastern modes and motifs, blurring the lines between folk, classical, and jazz. Opener "Remembering Hind" is a case in point. Under two minutes, the cello and piano deliver Brahem's minor-key melody with nearly processional grace and, despite the relative quiet, rippling emotion. The title track, at nearly six minutes, commences with an oud solo that foreshadows the melody. When Bates enters, he accedes to the restraint, at least until the cellist joins in, and it becomes a melancholy fantasia. The interplay between Holland and Brahem is almost symbiotic. "The Eternal Olive Tree," an oud/bass duet, showcases warmly dissonant harmonies in a celebration of survival and resilience. The duo embrace the blues directly in highlighting Gaza's struggle alongside modal and jazz motivics in their improvisation. "Awake," the set's hinge track, melds classical crossover, Tunisian folk styles, and restrained improv. The bass pattern that introduces "Dancing Under the Meteorites" is a constant pulse that evolves into a tango vamp. Lechner and Bates play around it, touching on the style in their joint conversation until Brahem's contrapuntal solo cements the tune as gorgeous tango-jazz fusion. He offers another lengthy improvisation on the bittersweet, musically riveting "The Sweet Oranges Of Jaffa"; Lechner joins him and delivers her own. Her long experience of improvised music guides her interaction with Brahem and underscores the harmonic invention in her solo. It and the labyrinthine, poignant, inventive "Never Forget" are offered here as hymns of remembrance, adding depth and dimension. It's followed by the tender piano and cello duet "Edward Said's Reverie." The set closes with his beloved "Vague," marking the third time he's recorded it. The release also includes a long liner essay (for ECM) by U.S. editor of The London Review of Books Adam Schatz, who is also a noted journalist and critic. He offers key reflections on Brahem's music, the Palestinians' fight to exist, and the culture around both. After the Last Sky is a reflective, yet powerfully emotional and virtuosic listening experience. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	05/09/2025
Label:	Ecm Records
UPC:	0602475344254

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Remembering Hind
2. After the Last Sky
3. Endless Wandering
4. The Eternal Olive Tree
5. Awake
6. In the Shade of Your Eyes

Disc 2

7. Dancing Under the Meteorites
8. The Sweet Oranges of Jaffa
9. Never Forget
10. Edward Said's Reverie
11. Vague

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Anouar Brahem   Primary Artist,Oud
Anja Lechner   Cello
Dave Holland   Double Bass
Django Bates   Piano

Technical Credits

Manfred Eicher   Producer