TIM RAYBORN: The Path Beyond

Tim Rayborn

The Path Beyond

© 2002 Kalamindar Productions (659057206523)

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Virtuoso multi-instrumentalist performs a collection of exquisitely beautiful music from medieval Spain, North Africa, Turkey, Iran, and the Balkans.

tracks

1 Quen a Virgen ben servir
2 Yedi
3 Psithyros
4 Galata
5 Tas
6 Szosztar mange
7 Sehtar dastan
8 Koron
9 Hij'dah noh
10 Osman Pasha
11 Cuando El Rey Nimrod
12 Taksim saz
13 Haf'dah
14 Taqsim 'ud
15 En el vettem

notes

The Path Beyond

Music from the Edges of Islamic Civilization

Jewish, Christian, and Islamic music from medieval Spain, North Africa, Turkey, Iran, and the Balkans.

This recording features music and musical styles from several of the regions that historically had contact with the Arabic Islamic world, and often were Muslim themselves, especially in the medieval and Ottoman periods.

The music is decidedly pre-modern. It does not feature modern instruments (with the exception of a few modeled on earlier designs), Western influences, or obvious innovations in style from the twentieth century. Five songs are of historical and traditional origin, while the others are improvisations or compositions that reflect the spirit of that same ancient heritage.

Some of the original pieces were composed or devised prior to the recording, while others were created "on the spot", capturing true improvisations in the moment that they were created. Improvising remains a standard musical practice throughout the Islamic world, and was an important feature of music in medieval Europe.

The album's title refers to both the "path beyond" the Arabic geographical center of Islamic culture and influence to these other lands, as well as "beyond" in the Sufi sense of leaving the mundane path of everyday life to travel the mystic path. The Sufis have often used music in ceremony, the most famous being the followers of Rumi, the "whirling dervishes", who spin ecstatically to musical accompaniment.

While the pieces on this recording are not necessarily intended to be spiritual in nature, it is nevertheless hoped that they will convey some of the sense of richness and mystic wonder of the cultures that produced or inspired them.

reviews

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  • Unique music
    author: Anita

    An extraordinary and unique CD by a multi-talented musician and singer, who plays medieval music on original instruments. The sound is unlike anything we generally hear nowadays, and utterly fascinating. A musical experience of note.

  • The Path Beyond ordinary music (or something witty like that)
    author: DrummerBoyJason

    Have you ever been to Iran? Egypt? Turkey? Medieval Spain? No? Me either... But there is no reason you can't go there in your mind. And that is exactly what this disc does, it takes you to another place. OK, enough with the flowery speach... When it comes down to it, this is just excellent music from an excellent musician and singer. There are no bad tracks here, they all have a flavor and feel of their own. Four tracks really stand out for us percussionists (Yedi, Tas, Jidah Noh, Haf'Dah). The combination of tradional, improvised, and composed works gives the album a nice balance of styles. I had only one problem with it, a slight lack of information about the songs in the linear notes but a visit to www.timrayborn.com solves that.

  • Beautiful, with amazing playing!
    author: Ram

    Tim Rayborn is an incredible musician, who plays literally dozens of instruments, mostly medieval and Middle Eastern. On this CD, he uses many of them to create haunting and evocative authentic music from places as diverse as medieval Spain, the Balkans, Turkey, and Persia. The musicianship and recorded sound are both excellent. This is a very original and unusual CD that you will play again and again, and a great introduction to the music of these regions. Highly recommended!

  • Great album, great voice! A marvelous musician!
    author: Winged Horse Music

    Tim Rayborn’s first solo album, “The Path Beyond”, is a rich musical presentation of a superbly talented artist, who deftly weaves a multicolored sound tapestry from past times and delivers it to us, pristine, in the here and now. I highly recommend that you take the musical journey into “The Path Beyond”, with him. His incredibly diverse skills with countless ancient musical instruments,[he plays them all!] are surpassed only by his extraordinary voice. The very best selections, in my opinion, were when his clear voice joined in that ensemble, or when it danced solo in a haunting a capella.

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