Yinon Muallem - Norwegian Oud: In Memory of David & Janet Muallem (2021)

It is difficult to briefly describe what I have experienced since devoting myself last March to working on the new album that was recorded entirely in parallel with the Corona plague. The first few minutes I sat in front of the computer screen in my small studio in Istanbul, I did not really know how to approach it during this shaky period. Some time after the production of the first piece, Heal, I felt that maybe I could write more music and complete an entire album.

Now, looking back on the passed year, I can say with confident that this is in my opinion the most important music album I have recorded to date for the simple reason that it was produced in the most difficult conditions and at the most challenging time. A time during which we experienced loss, pain, fear, apprehension and ongoing frustration. All these feelings alongside moments of joy and waves of creativeness are embedded in this piece of life called Norwegian Oud.

From my point of view, this album is the most global World music album around all my albums. Not only because many musicians from different parts of the globe took part in it, but also because of the mix of musical styles, the diverse instruments that come from different cultures and the special touch of each of them that contributed to the texture of the album The main work Norwegian Oud is an ethnic instrumental arrangement of the Beatles' well-known song "Norwegian Wood" arranged by the Israeli jazz pianist living in Denmark, Eyal Lovett. That work presents also the characteristics of the chamber music represented by the unique cello playing of Rally Margalit from Israel.

Also on the album you can hear my Israeli-Turkish collaboration with the Turkish singer Sansin Tüzün in an original arrangement I created for the famous Ladino song “ Morenika” (brunette) that is sung for the first time in Turkish and Hebrew. The album is based on recordings in home studios around the world. Editing and mastering were performed at Ada Studios in Istanbul. It will be released worldwide by the German record company Galileo Music on…

An Israeli musician and writer of Iraqi descent who moved to Istanbul in 2002. Mualem has collaborated with some of the greatest Turkish musicians and others in the field of world music and jazz. He has performed in more than twenty-five countries around the globe and has released eleven music albums from the fruits of his works. His latest album, Back Home, won the “Acum” award for Best World Music Album of 2019 as well as the “Achi” Award. Over the years, Muallem has initiated many collaborations, mainly between musicians and artists from Israel and Turkey. Between 2011-2015, he served as the cultural attaché at the Israeli consulate in Istanbul. Yinon Muallem has written two books: "Istanbul - Tel Aviv" (Pardes), a book published in Turkey during the Corona period and the book "Deep Inside A Broken Violin" (Carmel). In 2009 he got married in Turkey and now lives with his family in Istanbul.