Archived · Jazz and Beyond · Jazz · 3 min read
Joseph Tawadros's High 5
Joseph Tawadros's High 5 Joseph never ceases to amaze and at 26 has established himself as one the world's leading oud performers and composers. A…
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Joseph never ceases to amaze and at 26 has established himself as one the world’s leading oud performers and composers. A virtuoso of amazing diversity and sensitivity, Joseph continues to appear in concert halls worldwide dazzling audiences with his brilliant technique, his passionate musicianship and his joyous style of performance. Always willing to push the boundaries of the Oud and challenge traditional musical forms and rhythms, his efforts have led him to many unique collaborations, and he has recorded 7 albums to date: Storyteller, Rouhani, Visions, Epiphany, Angel, The Prophet: Music Inspired by the Poetry of Kahlil Gibran and his latest offering, The Hour of Separation. A resident of Australia since 1986, Joseph has been responsible for expanding the Oud’s notoriety in mainstream western culture and has also been recognized in the Arab world; recently being invited to appear on the judging panel of the Damascus International Oud competition in 2009.
1. RICHARD TOGNETTI & THE AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA - Angel Place Sydney, 22nd Feb. 2006
This one is a weird listing because my brother (James) and I were involved in this concert. Hang on, hang on, let me explain, we were a part of a tour with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, but there were moments where we just sat on stage not playing as our pieces sometimes segued into others. This was the case of Tognetti’s arrangement of Pink Floyds ‘Shine on you crazy diamond’, the first twelve minutes is quite textural arrangement with strings screaming and droning. But why this is important for me is because I remember sitting on stage, having the best seat in the house, having the spotlight shining in my eyes. The drones had put me in a type of trance and I got this feeling of peace, a feeling that I was in heaven. And that made me realize how much I love music.
2. JOHN ABERCROMBIE QUARTET – Birdland Jazz club, NY, 2009
Months before we recorded with Abercrombie, my brother James and I were invited by John to a quartet performance with Joey Baron on drums, Mark Feldman and Thomas Morgan on bass. It was great finally watching John perform live for the first time (after listening to him on great records like Timeless), and how the ensemble interacted with each other. It was also our first NY jazz club experience and we were well taken care of.
3. RENAUD GARCIA FONS – Didier Lockwood, Paris. 2007
One of my favourite bass players is Renaud Garcia Fons so to finally see him play and meet him at the performance was a highlight. What made it even better was that he was accompanied by jazz violinist Didier Lockwood. Beautiful music and technique and the beautiful out door setting in an old Parisian House was icing on the cake.
4. ABDO DAGHER – Ministerly Palace, Cairo. 2008
Abdo Dagher is one of Egypts legendary violin pioneers, he has a very distinct style and a real father of Egyptian violin. He is now 75, but still an amazing improviser and performer. In this concert, he was performing at an old palace in Cairo which had an out door area on the Nile. He has a piece called “The Nile”, so it was extra special that he performed it actually in that setting.
5. DR L SUBRAMANIUM – Womadelaide Adelaide 2006
It was a very late concert but there were thousands of people waiting and he didn’t disappoint. I’m a big fan of the violin as an instrument, but to have seen it being played like that took it to a whole new level.
