Kabuli Zumbi
Originally recorded as a live duet with Derek on oud and Javad Butah on tabla by Hussain Jiffry at his studio in Tarzana, CA on 2014-05-02. Brazilian percussion parts were overdubbed by Derek in Goleta, CA on 2014-09-22.
traditional melody
Soorch Bar
This is a traditional melody from Armenia that Derek first heard on the album Near Eastern Ride (Amazon, iTunes) by Ara Topouzian. It's listed there as "Soorch Bar", the name of the dance that goes with it (literally "coffee dance"). This is also the term that some people use for the 10/8 rhythm (3+2+2+3) the song is in (more commonly known as "jurjuna" or "curcuna").
Life Always Moving
The melody used in this piece was originally taught to Derek and his brother Matt Wright (along with many fellow students) at the Lark in the Morning music camp in Mendocino, CA by Ernie Fischbach, David Brown and Brian Steeger. None of them knew a title for it, but all the students loved it. They were only able to refer to it as the "Long Afghan melody in Major, 7/8". That got shorted to "LAM7" and the name stuck.
Karaguna
The melody for this track is a traditional Greek song, "Karaguna".
About
Multi-instrumentalist: oud, saz, Brazilian percussion (maracatú, other rhythms from Pernambuco, various forms of samba), body music, bass, Middle Eastern percussion, and more. 10 years studying North Indian classical music on the oud and voice interwoven with 15 years studying Brazilian music and dance (including 5 trips to Brazil for a total of 1 year of training) have given Derek a unique approach to music, rhythm, dance accompaniment, improvisation, movement, teaching, and life.
Derek is available for performances, dance collaborations, recording sessions, teaching, licensing, live accompaniment (films, plays, classes, etc), acting, and many other creative possibilities. He is also a certified practitioner and instructor of BREEMA (a bodywork method bringing body and mind together in harmony) and incorporates embodied mindfulness into his teaching and playing.