Brendan Kidd – Hymn to the Muezzin
“Misty mountains with dark lush forests that seem to go on forever. A weary traveler on a lonely road soaking up the memories of yesterdays glory. The vocal chorus guides us further on this journey as the acoustical guitar and strings really make themselves stand out. Hope is felt in the distant echoes of this beautifully assembled piece. ”
-Nagamag.com
The music is North American folk, with deep currents of eastern classical. The emphasis and focus of the music is on the poetry, elevated by melody; and musically, classical compositions from acoustic instruments, including harp, cello, oud, and violin, provide the lyrical templates for the text. The main influences for the poetry are the long tradition of Sufi Qawwali and the work of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, mysteriously mixed with the Canadian folk lineages of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. The music is in turns bleak and mourning, and suddenly opens out into rapture and invocation.
Reviewed by Nagamag on May 13, 2022