Wajdi Cherif: Phrygian Istikhbar (WECH Records, 2003)

John Kelman reviewed Phrygian Istikhbar, an EP by Tunisian pianist and composer Wajdi Cherif, who studied at the Bill Evans Piano Academy in France and calls his style Acoustic Tunisian Jazz.

Kelman noted that, unlike much jazz built on Middle Eastern music, the record leans on the piano trio tradition, with Habib Samandi adding derbouka and bendir on some tracks, and uses Tunisian folk phrasing, rhythm and harmony as a starting point for improvisation.

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