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In 2001 I was sent Real Nubian by Egyptian clarinet/tar player Ali Hassan Kuban. One song, "Gammal," blew my head open. It was the same year Kuban died, unfortunately, but that album, and subsequent others I picked up, were my introduction to North African Nubian music, of which Kuban was king. Spending most of his life playing weddings and, by the '90s, major world festivals, that's the Kuban cut that opens Piranha Musik's new collection, Egypt Noir. It's a sort of tribute album to the greats of Egyptian folk sounds, featuring Kuban twice (later with the more "modern" and way too synthesized "Bettitogor Agil), as well an exceptional percussive track by Fathi Abou Greisha ("Hager") and an absolutely stunning ten-minute oud/darbuka/vocal effort by Salwa Abou Greisha. There's no surprise that Salwa sounds like Oum Kulthum; she had recently cut an album singing some of the queen's classics on Mahmoud Fadl's record, Umm Kalthum 7000 (forgive the multiple spellings of Kulthum, I've seen a dozen in my day). Nubian master drummer Fadl closes out the compilation with "United Nubians - Saidi Style," an upbeat dancefloor number that beatifically represents the world beyond "bellydance" music. This cruiser moves your entire body.
05/04/10
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