OUdbLUES

With influences from around the world and right here at home, this Middle Eastern- Balkan- Blues Sextet is comprised of Oud, Upright Bass, Saxophone, Trumpet, Percussion and Drumset.Fusing styles from the Gypsy mountains of Romania to the Saharan and Middle Eastern Desserts and back to the streets of Philadelphia, Oudblues takes you on a journey through the Diaspora and evolution of ancient music from the fertile crescent to the blues of modern life. The full group got together in March and we are currently recording our first EP.The Oud is a fretless, short-necked, pear-shaped, plucked lute of the Arab world, the direct ancestor of the European lute, mandolin and guitar. Oud's name derives from al-oud (the wood). There are 11 strings total: five pairs of strings on an oud, each pair tuned to the same pitch, and a single string which is lowest tone. According to Farabi, a Persian philosopher, the oud was invented by Lamak, the sixth grandson of Adam. The legend tells that the grieving Lamak hung the body of his dead son from a tree. The first oud was inspired by the shape of his son's bleached skeleton. This instrument was invented to express the sorrow of humanity.................................................... .... or the blues.....This is jason & i in the living room caught on candid camera.