Flying Hye*

I found this record in a Goodwill store here in Huntsville and knew that I was not going to miss a chance to hear a song called “The Oud & The Fuzz”. It didn’t matter that I didn’t know what an Oud is, I wanted to hear one with fuzz. Errrr, the cover helped me decide it was a keeper too. Oh yeah. Joe Beck provided the fuzz. He's a famous jazz guitarist.

But the cover and the album’s name are misleading, this is not music from the Middle East. Most of the songs are based on folk melodies from Eastern Europe. It says so right in the liner notes on the back cover. The band is safe from charges of false advertising; they are called John Berberian & the Rock East Ensemble. John Berberian is still playing. So is Joe Pass but neither one mention this great record on their websites.

* Hye = Armenian (It's a joke.)