Inana is the fourth album by Iraqi-American trumpeter Amir ElSaffar which came out in 2011. The trumpeter starts the album with eight tracks dedicated to Inanna, the Mesopotamian goddess of sex, beauty, war and political power. ElSaffar mixes microtonal jazz with Arabic scales such as maqam, which seems to be naturally suited to improvisation. It’s an evocative album – warm, passionate, and exquisitely recorded.
Sadly, there is only one track available to hear on the Bandcamp site, but I attach another track available on Youtube here.
Personnel:
Amir ElSaffar – trumpet, vocal, santour
Ole Mathisen – tenor and soprano saxophone
Nasheet Waits – drums
Carlo DeRosa – bass
Tareq Abboushi – buzuq
Zafer Tawil – oud, percussion
Ole Mathisen – tenor and soprano saxophone
Nasheet Waits – drums
Carlo DeRosa – bass
Tareq Abboushi – buzuq
Zafer Tawil – oud, percussion