Their Greatest Hits + 2 is a mix of their first 2 cd's + 2 new live recordings and 2 songs from their production for the kurdish singer Nazê Botan.

Since 1990 Oriental Mood has developed an unique sound, playing ethnic instruments as Arabian qanoon and darbuka - Indian tablas -Turkish saz - along with western instruments like bas, guitar, clarinet, sax, mandolin and drums.

ORIENTAL MOOD has a very broad experience, allowing it to play classical Turkish/Arabian music in one moment , and Afro-Arabian or Balkan-inspired in the next. In Oriental Mood, elements from Middle Eastern worldmusic- traditions melt together with western music-styles, creating their own special “worldsound”.

The story of Oriental Mood is a long travel of adventures in the path of Middle Eastern music and culture. In - 92 they were playing at a nile-cruise in Egypt for the Moevenpick-hotel international - and in - 94 with Kawkab Hamza from Iraq in Bardentreffen in Nürnberg...

An improvised tour to Finland in - 95 where Hassan Khalil and Claus Mathiesen nearly didn´t catch their ferry from Stockholm to Aabo - they waited in a wrong place - but with help from a taxidriver and Allah - they reached the right ferry just on time... and finally came to Kuopio (F) !

In 98/99 Oriental Mood had their breakthrough in Europe with festivalconcerts in Holland-Germany-Sweden-Norway-Italy and Denmark.

Sept. 99 - they won the contest of best playing worldmusicliveband in Denmark - with a first price of 25.000 d.kr. ! This was the mainreason to make this CD - the best liveworldmusicband in Denmark - 99.

Musicians:

Lars Bo Kujahn: started as a jazzfusion drummer, but soon took interest in Balkan -and middleastern music.He lived for many years with one leg in Copenhagen, the other in Cairo, where he learned arabian drumming and to play the arabian harp: Qanoon.

Claus Mathiessen: who plays clarinet, has hes roots in experimental rock and Balkan-music.He started playing middle eastern music when he got in contact with turkish musicians in the beginning of the eighties. He studied and travelled in Turkey and Balkan. Plays among others with the turkish singer Fuat Saka.

Frank Juul: is one of the few westernes who really learned to play the indian tablas. He studied art during a five years stay in Benares, India. In Oriental Mood, he transfers the indian playing-techniques to the middle-eastern rhythms. He also plays with Fuat Saka Band.

Niels Lichtenberg: is the bass-player of Oriental Mood. He´s a specialist in brazilian and Latin music. Educated at the rhythmic conservatoir in Copenhagen.

Marco Spallanzani: is a jazz-fusion guitarist with a big love for worldmusic.He´s educated at the rhythmic conservatory of Copenhagen. He plays saz(turkish lut) as well.

Yasar Tas: is the joker of Oriental Mood. He is a turkish kurd with a big passion for eastern worldmusic. He plays saz, oud, zurna, may and percussion.

On recordings from travels and Oriental Moods, bas: Hassan Khalil
On recordings from travels: neyflute, oud, sax: Hadji Tekbiilek

1. TATYOS · Tatyos Effendi., arr. Oriental Mood (5:17)
2. MACERA · Lars Bo Kujahn (3:42)
3. MIN TU DITBU · Nazë Botan, arr. C. Mathiesen (4:28)
4. BELA · Nazë Botan,arr. OM (5:28)
5. LAMA BEDA · Andalusian traditional, arr. OM (5:30)
6. SO MANY LAKES · Claus Mathiesen (3:46)
7. BISHKEK · Claus Mathiesen (2:52)
8. KARSILAMAS · Turkish trad. arr. OM (3:30)
9. CHARD DJAFAR · Afghanistan traditional, arr. OM (4:53)
10. RAQSA MAHGREBIA · Lars Bo Kujahn (3:40)
11. GEDIID · Lars Bo Kujahn / Frank Juul (3:32)
12. KWETWAT HABIBI · Abdel Wahabarr, arr. Oriental Mood (4:40)
13. ARABIC BOMBILE · Hadji Tekbilek/ Lars Bo Kujahn (4:05)
14. SABAH · Farid al Trace, arr. Mahmood Aifat (5:00)
15. CARAVAN · Yasar Tas (3:52)