mukdad rothenberg lankow: in the wake of memories

Mukdad Rothenberg Lankow translates years of experience into music that unfolds in a sense of hope. Says Volker Lankow, "It comes from everywhere and nowhere." First meeting at David Rothenberg's "Nightingales in Berlin" project, the three musicians recorded this improvised fusion of experiences with oud, clarinet and percussion. A meditation on survival and resilience, on empathy and love. Each musician, a master of his instrument, seamlessly interweaves phrases and nuance each expressing pain and joy, expectation and relief. Wassim Mukdad is a refugee from Syria who escaped torture first to Istanbul now in Berlin. Volker Lankow worked with Medecins sans Frontiere in crisis torn zones and now with mentally ill criminals. Rothenberg, an author and philosopher, brings an exploration of the idea of sound to this trio. This is an album of music from an entire region of the world, crossing cultural barriers and tribal sides. An accomplished percussionist Volker Lankow performs on frame drums and tabla among other instruments. Wassim and Volker share years of rough experiences in conflict regions and in their playing together one hears a path toward clarity and beauty out of terrible shadows. "It is a delight to play with Volker, a percussionist who does not need to show off, who has nothing to prove." Wassim Mukdad met Volker Lankow as part of David Rothenberg's "Nightingales in Berlin" project which documented a group of musicians' attempts to play live with the birds in the dark parks of Germany's capital city. Clarinetist and author, Rothenberg was inspired by the rapport these two offered to each other and got the trio into Berlin's Studio Wong for one perfect day when all this music was improvised. Mukdad Rothenberg Lankow translate years of experience into music that unfolds with a worldwide sense of hope.