Dudu Tassa & The Kuwaitis,”El Hajar” (Nur Records)- This fascinating offering was the brainchild of
Dudu Tassa, the gifted Israeli singer-songwriter whose music first reached a wider audience when he
landed the prestigious support slot on Radiohead’s U.S.tour a couple of years ago. “El Hajar” finds Tassa
offering a contemporary take on the mesmeric music created by his grandfather and great-uncle in Iraq
between the 1920s and 1950s, and although it’s unlikely to attract a mass audience over here the
album’s unique cross-cultural charms should appeal to open minded roots music enthusiasts wherever
it’s heard.