: ' .. .:.... . ' ' ______________ : ________ : ' \ / .. .:. .. \ / : : \ /_________ \ / . .. ... .. . : .\ / /___ /\ \ / ______________ ___ _. : \ / / \ / \ \/ / \ \ \ \ \ . ...:..\ / _______/ \/ \ ___/__ / / / / / : /\ / / \ \/ \ / / / . sH! ' / \/ / / / \ / / . ... .:.... .. . :/ _______/ / / / _______/__ ___ __ .\ / / / / / / / / / / / \ / / / / / / / / / / / . . \ /\______/ / / / / \___ / / : \/ ____ \ / / / / / : \ / \ /\____/\ / / : : ________\/ \ / \ / / : ' \ / \/ \ /\ / : . ..:.. . \ / \/ \ / \ / \ / . ' : \/ F A N G \ / : ' ____ \ / . . .. .. .:.. . \ / presents \ / . . \/ \/ : : . ..:.. , : Artist......: Ahmed Mukhtar & Ignacio Lusardi Monteverde : Album.......: Al-hambra : : Label.......: ARC Music .. .:.. . Genre.......: Ethnic : Catnr.......: EUCD2972 . ' Source......: CD , ; Rip.date....: 2025-08-20 Str.date....: 2025-08-22 Quality.....: 249kbps/44.1kHz/Joint Stereo . :.. .:. Url.........: http://www.arcmusic.co.uk ' ' , ________ ________ \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / # title time \ / \/ \/ 1. River Banks 4:21 2. Basra 5:55 3. A Moment of Taqasim 4:33 4. Baghdadi Girl 4:01 5. Caravan 4:57 6. Samaa'i Ajam 4:30 7. Quietness 4:50 8. Iraqi Merengue 3:06 9. Al-hambra 4:37 10. The Young Prince and the Young Princess 6:22 ______ \ / ________ Runtime 47:12 ,\ /... . . .... .... \ / ' Size 88.71 ______ :\/ ', \ / , \ / ' '... ..\ /.. .. .....:. .. .... .. . ..\ /. : Release Notes: \/ , \/ , ' ' ,: Al-hambra is a vibrant exploration of the deep musical and :, : cultural ties between the Arab world and Andalusia over : :' centuries. Inspired by a visit to the Alhambra Palace in ': ,: Granada, Mukhtar was moved by echoes of familiar Islamic :, : architecture, setting the stage for a cross-cultural journey : :' through music. ': ,: :, : The album bridges centuries of artistic exchange, tracing the : :' influence of the Middle Eastern oud on the flamenco guitar and ': ,: exploring shared melodic structures such as maqam and flamenco :, : scales. From the rhythmic pulse of River Banks to the elegance : :' of Baghdadi Girl, the compositions draw on a range of ': ,: traditional and contemporary influences, including Latin :, : American forms and classical Arabic modes. : :' ': ,: The first single release æRiver BanksÆ will be available :, : digitally on 1st August, followed by æBasraÆ on 15th August û : :' both with accompanying music videos on ARC MusicÆs YouTube ': ,: channel. :, : : :' Highlights include the Latin-inflected Iraqi Merengue, the ': ,: reflective solo improvisation A Moment of Taqasim, and a unique :, : arrangement of Rimsky-KorsakovÆs The Young Prince and The Young : :' Princess, reimagined through the lens of oud and flamenco ': ,: guitar. The album closes with the title track, Al-hambra, a :, : sonic homage to the architectural marvel that inspired the : :' project. ': ,: :, : Born in Baghdad, Ahmed Mukhtar is an internationally acclaimed : :' oud virtuoso, composer and educator, dedicated to preserving ': ,: and evolving Middle Eastern music. He has studied the oud and :, : Western percussion extensively, earning a BA from the London : :' College of Music and MA in Performance from SOAS, University of ': ,: London. MukhtarÆs impact extends beyond performanceùhe is also :, : the author of Arabic Music and the Oud and the Mukhtar Method : :' Series, providing a structured approach to learning the oud, ': ,: darbuka and Arabic music theory. His contributions to the field :, : make him a leading figure in the preservation and evolution of : :' Arabic music. ': ,: :, : Born and raised in Buenos Aires, into an Argentinian/Italian : :' family, Ignacio started playing the guitar aged six. Inspired ': ,: by his cultural surroundings, he played with his siblings as a :, : family pastime, learning Argentinian folk songs and tango music. : :' His passion for flamenco started, aged 9, when he discovered ': ,: the works of the Spanish flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia. His :, : desire to pursue the flamenco genre eventually took him to : :' London in 2013, where he became musically connected with Spain ': ,: and the rest of the world. In 2019, he was awarded the LATINUK :, : AWARD for Musician of the Year, and in 2020 was assigned as a : :' member of the Guild of Musicians & Singers. ': ,: :, : Mukhtar and MonteverdeÆs partnership began in London in 2017 and : :' developed through extensive touring in Bahrain, India, and ': ,: Iraq. Their shared visionùrooted in mutual respect and deep :, : musical curiosityùculminates in Al-hambra, a record shaped by : :' improvisation, structured dialogue, and a balance between two ': ,: expressive traditions. :, : : :' Featuring percussionist Demi Garcia Sabat and produced by ARC ': ,: Music, Al-hambra is a celebration of the universal language of :, : music. : :' ': : ' '.. ..' .. . :........... . . . . ............: . . ______________ ______________ \ / \ / \ / GREETS: \ / \ / \ / \ / iPC BOSS HiT2000 1way UKi i8 RNS \ / \ / MANDY DV8 pLAN9 BUTT \ / \ / \ / \/ ____ ____ \/ \ / F A N G \ / \/ \/