Baklava Express is an NYC-based Middle Eastern fusion project fronted by oud player Josh Kaye that has been stretching the genre boundaries with their style of eclectic music that is founded on that traditional Arabian sound with vast influences from Turkey, Greece, and Armenia, backed by a coherent blend of jazz, flamenco, rock, and Eastern European folk music—this is eclectic sound per excellence.
After many years performing in venues and live gigs across NYC, Baklava Express decided it was about time that they got to share their craft with the musical world and to get us off that surreal journey is “Dávka”—a 9-track collection brimming with traditional eclectic music that has been delivered with that present-day vision and execution.
What Baklava offers here is 39 minutes and 40 seconds of musical excellence with a scintillating concoction of virtuosic instrumental playing to evoke certain familiar emotions and moods. There are sentimental sounds, inspirational tracks, and purely entertaining tunes that exude those blissful moments that jolt you back to reality so fast and so beautifully that there is nowhere else you’d rather be.
The heartfelt instrumental playing and catchy melodies of the songs will probably stay in your head for the rest of the day.
“Dávka” is a clear demonstration of the limitless creativity and showmanship of the collective group to come up with something that is timeless and yet relevant. The way they live out their performance in every track is a huge testament to their unusual dedication to leaving an indelible mark on every listener who subscribes to this indescribably magical content.
“Dávka” is the first of what we can only hope will be more musical excellence from a band that has come up with a kind of real and rare style that seems to acknowledge no boundaries in time or place.
Baklava Express deserve their flowers, and you can start giving them by streaming “Dávka” in its entirety to find out which tracks most tickle your fantasy.
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