As received from his teachers and transformed by his considerable musical gifts and life experience, Rahim Alhaj carries on a significant strand of Iraqi musical tradition toward future generations—in his own way, in his own time. Alhaj studied music in Baghdad with Munir Bashir and other great teacher-performers. His extended improvisations on the oud, accompanied on Near Eastern percussion by Souhail Kaspar, include uniquely Iraqi pieces. Together they represent a proud tradition's meeting with modernity. This album received a 2007 GRAMMY Award Nominee for Best Traditional World Music Album. Extensive bilingual notes, 32-page booklet. 73 minutes.