Buzuq player and composer Tareq Abboushi has put together another excellent Arabic-meets-jazz record, entitled Mumtastic.
Tareq studied jazz and piano at the esteemed William Patterson University in New Jersey, but grew up in Ramallah and has lived in Brooklyn for the past several years. A soulful player and improviser with a deep sense of tarab, he is also a very talented composer with a gift for lively, memorable tunes.
Shusmo's previous recording "One" was excellent, and this is may be even better.
A better review than I can write is here: www.rootsworld.com/0603123/reviews/mumtastic-11.shtml
Also:
secretarchivesofthevatican.wordpress.com/2011/07/02/album-review-mumtastic-by-shusmo
and:
insideworldmusic.blogspot.com/2011/06/cd-review-tareq-abboushi-shusmos.html
and:
kunc.org/post/shusmo-funky-new-yorkers-middle-eastern-roots
