Album Notes

Okbari
Amos Libby and Eric LaPerna perform Armenian and Anatolian folk music, classical Middle Eastern music and traditional folk and contemporary songs from the Greek, Arabic and Balkan traditons. Okbari also presents multi-instrumental original music inspired by the musical systems of the Middle East and India. They perform on the oud, clarinet, duduk, bouzouki, doumbek, riqq, tabla, ney, mridangam, and several other instruments from around the world. Okbari was formed in 1995 and has independently released four albums: 'Among the Believers', 'By the Banks of the Red River', the self-titled 'Okbari', and, most recently, 2007's 'Armenian and Anatolian Folk Music.'
Okbari also appears as a traditional Armenian and Turkish dance quartet featuring former Bardezbanian ensemble violinist Michael Gallant and noted guitarist Michah Blue Smaldone. Okbari has a long partnership with Maine's most beloved belly dancer, Jamileh. Okbari has performed throughout the Northeast. To further their studies, Okbari traveled to Istanbul, Turkey, where they shared the stage with the Kemani Serkan Roma Ensemble at Ikinci Bahar in the famed Cicek Pasaji as well as with the Oudi Hasan Roumeli Kef Ensemble at Roumeli Meyhane.