I like to listen to Jazz music while I do household chores. Like ironing my shirts. And that is precisely what I did on August 6, 2014, when I first listened to Lisan al Tarab, pianist Tarek Yamani's new album. The conflicts in the Middle East had occupied my mind and my writing for quite some time. Not that I could have done anything to solve them. But now, I finally took an hour to iron. I finally had time to enjoy music.

 

Last June I met Tarek Yamani in Beirut. We sat down for two hours, eating Lebanese mezze and talking about music. Tarek is a very interesting person to chat with. He knows a great deal about music and he can most entertainingly speak about it. [Link]