Maple Fyshh レコード& CD

Review: Mustapha Skandrani is a luminary of Algerian music who crafted a unique fusion of Arabo-Andalusian and European styles. His 1965 solo piano album Istikhbars and Improvisations was recorded in Paris and reimagines traditional Algerian istikhbars, which are vocal pieces rooted in Islamic Arabo-Andalusian culture, on a quintessentially European piano. While some purists criticised this approach, Skandrani highlighted the shared European elements within Arabo-Andalusian traditions and demonstrated the Mediterranean as a bridge, not a divide. Alternating between modal istikhbars and piano improvisations, his precise touch evokes comparisons to Bach's Goldberg Variations while retaining strong Arabic/Maghreb influences.