In A Mellow Tone
Wednesday October 8th, 2025 with Heavy Ben
John Berberian: Ode to an Oud

Decades before "world music" became fashionable, John Berberian crafted a singular blend of traditional Middle Eastern music, jazz, and occasionally psychedelic rock. A master of the oud, his recordings from the 1960s and 70s cut through the generic belly dance and so-called ethnic records that were marketed to Western audiences. Berberian was born in New York City in 1941 to Armenian immigrants who left to escape the the forced Islamization of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. His father Yervant not only played the oud but was also a craftsman; he repaired the oud and other Middle Eastern instruments. Armenian, Turkish, Arab, and Greek musicians would come to his shop, exposing a young John to many oud masters. While attending Columbia University, Berberian studied ethnomusicology under Henry Cowell. Producers from Mainstream Records sought Berberian to record and - uncommon for the era - essentially left the band to do whatever they wanted. Expressions East and Oud Artistry set in motion further recordings on Roulette, Verve Forecast, and later Berberian's Olympia imprint. Middle Eastern Rock (though more jazz influenced) from 1969 remains a stunning listen, probably the first Middle-Eastern fusion album, and indisputably one of the most engaging records in my collection. Let's wish John Berberian a happy 83rd birthday on the 9th of October. He remains active in the Armenian community in Massachusetts. His professional recording career spanned the mid 1950s to the late 1970s, and we'll listen to a few cuts from a dozen albums. I've also interspersed clips of a 2019 interview with John, and it's great to hear his life story. John Berberian: Interview with an Oud Master (conversation with Andrew Kzirian of TAQSIM podcast) https://taqs.im https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVJVsYWcM20&feature=youtu.be https://armenianweekly.com/2014/09/19/relationship-hachig-kazarian-john-berberian/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Berberian https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oud https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_genocide https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Cowell https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Microtonal_Banana (to embiggen the show icon, right-click and choose "Open image in new tab")