Anouar Brahem

Oud master Anouar Brahem created one of the most beloved and best-selling albums in the entire ECM catalogue with Le pas du chat noir ("the black cat's step"). The Tunisian composer assembles an unusual and inspired trio, pairing his oud with the piano of François Couturier and the accordion of Jean-Louis Matinier, an instrumentation with no obvious precedent that proves utterly natural in practice. Across the album Brahem quietly dissolves the borders between the classical Arabic tradition, European chamber music and the open spaces of jazz, writing melodies that feel at once ancient and freshly invented. The music moves with feline grace, exactly as the title suggests: hushed, nocturnal, unhurried, built from long lyrical lines, gentle call-and-response and a profound sense of restraint. Couturier's crystalline piano and Matinier's breathing accordion wrap around the oud like shadows, leaving generous room for silence and reflection. Nothing is forced or virtuosic for its own sake; the trio simply lets each phrase unfold. Romantic without sentimentality and meditative without dullness, it is a modern classic that has introduced countless listeners to Brahem's world, and remains the perfect entry point into his singular blend of Mediterranean melancholy and chamber lyricism. The trio would reconvene for a sequel, Le voyage de Sahar, but it is this first encounter that remains the most cherished. Its enduring popularity has made it a gateway record for countless listeners discovering ECM, and on vinyl its hushed dynamics and intimate detail are rendered with particular beauty.