Album lore

Blue Flame, released in 2001 on Ark 21 Records, finds Simon Shaheen leading his ensemble Qantara through a set of eleven instrumental pieces steeped in Arabic tradition. Shaheen’s oud and violin weave alongside strings in a manner both measured and fluent, evident in tracks like "Saraab" and "Fantasie for Oud & String Quartet." The album’s palette favors warm wood tones and sinuous string interplay, drawing on Mediterranean and Middle Eastern motifs without excess.The collection’s titles—"Tea in the Sahara," "Bosphorus Scenes Under the Moonlight"—evoke specific locales and moods, framing the music’s dialogue between oud-led melodies and string arrangements. Blue Flame carries the quiet resonance of a classical lineage filtered through contemporary sensibility, offering a precise artifact for those attuned to the nuances of Arabic instrumental music.

Album lore

Blue Flame, released in 2001 on Ark 21 Records, finds Simon Shaheen leading his ensemble Qantara through a set of eleven instrumental pieces steeped in Arabic tradition. Shaheen’s oud and violin weave alongside strings in a manner both measured and fluent, evident in tracks like "Saraab" and "Fantasie for Oud & String Quartet." The album’s palette favors warm wood tones and sinuous string interplay, drawing on Mediterranean and Middle Eastern motifs without excess.The collection’s titles—"Tea in the Sahara," "Bosphorus Scenes Under the Moonlight"—evoke specific locales and moods, framing the music’s dialogue between oud-led melodies and string arrangements. Blue Flame carries the quiet resonance of a classical lineage filtered through contemporary sensibility, offering a precise artifact for those attuned to the nuances of Arabic instrumental music.