Istikhbars And Improvisations presents Mustapha Skandrani at a remarkable crossroads of history, geography and style. Recorded in Paris in 1965, the album finds the Algerian pianist - already a towering figure in his country’s musical life - alone with a European concert instrument and a repertoire rooted in Arabo‑Andalusian tradition. The source material is the istikhbar, an improvisatory vocal prelude that introduces and explores a particular mode. Skandrani’s decision to relocate this form to the piano was greeted with scepticism by purists at the time, but it reveals the deep currents of exchange that have always flowed between North Africa and Europe. Rather than treating the piano as an intrusion, he makes it a prism, refracting centuries‑old melodic practice into a new, trans‑Mediterranean light.

The album’s structure is elegantly simple: each istikhbar is stated in clear, unadorned fashion, then followed by an improvisation that develops its modal material. This A/B alternation continues throughout, inviting listeners to hear both the rootedness and the freedom at the heart of the music. Skandrani’s touch is precise yet unforced, his articulation so transparent that individual lines seem to float in the air even when his hands are full. There is something of Bach and Glenn Gould in the clarity and poise of his playing, yet the melodic contours, ornaments and modal turns speak unmistakably of Algiers and the Maghreb rather than Leipzig. Heard this way, Istikhbars And Improvisations can feel like a set of Goldberg Variations dreamed in Andalucia, where the keyboard sings in the accent of old Andalusian courts and modern North African streets at once.

What might in lesser hands have become a mere exercise in fusion here sounds entirely natural. On one side, listeners may be struck by the underlying European aspects of Arabo‑Andalusian music: symmetrical rhythmic patterns, voices that move in loosely “contrapuntal” ways, a sense of architecture that sits comfortably on the piano. On the other, the modal language, micro‑inflected turns and phrasing keep the music tethered to its Algerian and broader Arabic roots. Skandrani’s rhythmic sense is crucial: his playing swings gently without ever becoming bombastic, and his rubato feels guided by the breath of an invisible singer. In these performances, the Mediterranean is not a line of division but a shared body of water, carrying motifs, scales and sensibilities back and forth until they become common property.

Born in Algiers in 1920, Skandrani mastered several instruments at a young age and became a sought‑after accompanist and ensemble member, working with many of the great singers of his era in concert, studio and radio settings. Later, he dedicated much of his energy to education, passing on both craft and repertoire to new generations. Istikhbars And Improvisations captures him at a moment when that broad experience crystallised into a quiet but radical statement: that the piano could speak fluent Arabo‑Andalusian, and that the supposed distance between cultural worlds is far smaller than it appears. This 2026 reissue restores the album’s pellucid sound and includes an insert with liner notes in English and Japanese, offering context for a recording whose beauty is immediate but whose implications deepen with every listen.