Mukdad - Rothenberg - Lankow
Just Leave It All Behind
Three years after their debut recording In the Wake of Memories, Wassim Mukdad, David Rothenberg and Volker Lankow went back into Studio Wong, Berlin to reflect musically and spiritually on the power of beauty in a time of war. Wassim Mukdad is an oud master and medical doctor from Syria. An activist, he escaped the Syrian regime where he had been captured and tortured and made his way to Germany where he has a career as a musician. Mukdad was also an important witness in the case against Anwar Raslan, the man who had tortured him. In one of the rare instances of post conflict justice Raslan was sentenced to life in prison. Volker Lankow has worked for many years for Doctors Without Borders. His percussion playing and ambient music is a direct response to all the violence he has seen in Iraq, Afghanistan, and South Sudan. David Rothenberg, known for his live music with birds, whales, and landscapes joins these two courageous human rights workers and musical artists to create timeless music blending the worlds traditions. Their improvisations represent a belief that art can help us get beyond the darkest impulses of humanity. More than ever, music is necessary in this time of war.