In review--timeless Sufi in the Sand

-
 Missing cover image

 El Tanbura
Between the Desert And The Sea
World Village

 The ancient Simsimiyya (Egyptian harp) possesses mysterious origins. According to the liner notes for Between The Desert And The Sea, the harp either derived from the shell of an unfortunate turtle that swum too far up river or it derived from mesmerizing sirens. Its sound is mesmerizing especially when backed by hearty call and response vocals and polyrhythmic traditional percussion.

 El Tanbura is a collective of veteran Egyptian master musicians (harp players), philosophers, singers and fishermen. It also contains multi-generations of musicians whose music revolves around Sufi verses and folk melodies. And what I love most about this recording is its acoustic instruments. There are no programmed drums edging their way into traditional music, nor have the edges of this stunning music been polished for mass appeal. I find the songs on Between The Desert And The Sea compelling and magical.

 This ensemble has been around for nearly 20 years just hovering beneath the world music industry radar. The musicians are both retrieving an almost extinct tradition and introducing music audiences to this versatile Egyptian harp that can perform exorcising rituals, conjure up benevolent spirits, and contribute its siren songs to hungry ears.

 I recommend this recording for those of you seeking a truly exotic experience. (I am speaking for people from the West).

 worldvillagemusic

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Introduction to Peyote Songs & The Native American Church

-
Image
Father Peyote: Songs of the Native American Church Introduction to the Peyote Church Ceremony This is an archival article written in 2003.  It's not updated.  For more recent recordings, go to Canyon Records website, http://www.canyonrecords.com When some people speak of Native American ceremonies, the peyote ceremony or the ingestion of the hallucinogen peyote (contains mescaline) usually surfaces. However, there is too much false information being passed around in the non-native community surrounding peyote meetings. The first thing people need to know about the Native American connection to peyote is that the plant is sacred medicine ingested as a sacrament during healing ceremonies of the Native American Church. The second thing, people need to know is that the Native American Church is not a set structure like the Christian Church. The peyote meeting could take place in a Navajo hogan or a teepee. And finally, since the peyote meeting does in part derive from Nat
Read more

The Practice--Treasure Hunt from the book Whole Music

-
Image
Excerpt from Whole Music The Practice: Musical Treasure Hunt Similar to treasure hunts from our childhood, I’m going to send you on a music treasure hunt in which the pleasures are many.  Pretend that you are a song catcher visiting other cultures where you collect new sounds. While I mentioned sound healers earlier, another important player with music preservation are ethnomusicologists who combine cultural anthropology with music preservation.  Two famous song catchers are the late Alan Lomax, and the world beat drummer Mickey Hart.  I recommend learning more about these song catchers through books, and documentaries. 1) Step One-- Head over to YouTube, and look up the following music traditions: ·          Aboriginal Didgeridoo ·          Finnish Runo-Songs (Traditional singer) ·          Gregorian chants ·          Griot Music of Mali (Acoustic, not pop music) ·          Sanskrit Chants Sung by Hindu Indians in Context (aka Kirtans)
Read more

Talking about Timbre

-
Image
Wikipedia As I mention in my book Whole Music , when I was a child I fell in love with timbre and the voices of the individual instruments we listened to in music class.  Each instrument conjured a specific emotions or feeling in me.  The French horn caused me to feel majestic and the cello invoked melancholy.  My moods would shift with each instrument that I heard and my moods would shift quickly. Today, I listen to more than timbre, but I have an understanding of how tone, frequencies of the tone and timbre (the color of the tone) affect me on all levels.  And I wonder what listening to an entire symphony does with its many voices, themes, keys, musical passages etc... In the concept of "whole music" I prefer not to separate musical components, but in the case of this post, I will present solo instruments for your listening and feeling pleasure. If you keep a music journal (and I hope that you do by now), write down the emotions that come up with each instrument.  R
Read more