The compilation OPEN STRINGS is a remarkable collection of Middle Eastern music from the pre-war era, as presented by the ever-reliable imprint Honest Jon's. All of these tracks were drawn from EMI's massive Hayes archives, and were recorded in locales as varied as Turkey, Iran, Egypt, and Iraq. A second disc of material includes Middle Eastern-flavored performances by contemporary stringed instrument virtuosos like Maine-based guitarist Micah Blue Smaldone and Ex-Sun City Girls string bender Sir Richard Bishop.
