Club Passim offers its ode to the oud
By Bob Young

You don't often hear its light, lyrical patterns in popular Middle Eastern music these days, but the sound of the oud isn't going away anytime soon among traditionalists hailing from Iran to Morocco.
Karim Nagi Mohammed, who runs Arabesque Mondays every third Monday at Club Passim in Harvard Square, is doing his part to make sure the oud (pronounced "ode") gets its due.
"It's actually hard to find a virtuoso on the instrument these days, and we wanted to preserve the oud's importance," Mohammed said.
That's why at Passim tomorrow you'll be able to hear three of the finest oud players on the Middle Eastern classical scene: Saeed Koury of Lebanon, Al Gardner Bardezbanian of Armenia and Demitris Mikelis of Greece.
They're headliners for Arabesque Monday's Oud Festival, with drum accompaniment by Mohammed.
The oud - a lutelike instrument with a short neck, a pear-shaped body, five pairs of strings plus a bass string and no frets - has a long and rich history, going as far back as ancient Persia. It first appeared in Mesopotamia as early as 1600 B.C. and eventually spread throughout the Middle East.
The oud was used for purposes ranging from treating illnesses to adding inspiration during battle. The instrument - whose name translates roughly as "stick" or "branch" - has long been versatile enough to handle the different types of Arabic scales.
"By tradition, most composers and singers are obliged to know how to play the oud," Mohammed said. "Most people who compose music for groups for instrumental or vocal music do it on the oud.
"It's conducive to that because it models the human voice very well. And it's also rhythmic and melodic because of the strumming activity."
You won't, however, hear the oud much in the often-electrified setting of Arabic pop music.
"In modern Arabic music, the instrument has been supplanted by the keyboard," Mohammed said. "Modern music is dominated by the powerful group sound, and the oud isn't powerful enough to compete with the heavy drums and keyboards."
You will hear the oud in settings such as tomorrow's festival, where improvisation is part and parcel of the performance.
"It's wonderful to listen to as an improvisational instrument because it can accompany itself very well," Mohammed said. "It has ringing strings and rhythmic patterns. It just sounds beautiful by itself."
The Oud Festival takes place tomorrow at Club Passim from 8 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $10. Call 617-492-7679 or go to www.kmplimited.com/ arabesque.
Caption: OUD TRADITION: Similar to a lute, the oud has a long and rich history in Middle Eastern music. This one was made in Belmont and belongs to Al Gardner Bardezbanian, who will play tomorrow at Club Passim in Harvard Square.