Arabic music (not elsewhere classified)

Rudipherous: As far as I know, that Milhem Barakat song you posted a few days ago (يا عين صبى دمع) is an original of his.

Thanks. What would an English transliteration of that title look like (roughly)?

Oh wait, that one. I think the one at the beginning is traditional, but the other one they go into is his. You are talking about the last Barakat clip I posted? There's a mawwal, then there's a song I recognize from other singers (and it sort of goes back and forth between mawwal and the song, which is how the song goes anyway), then it goes into another song that I think I have heard on one of his tapes before (and which sounds like it's in his style). But for all I know, that first song is his too. I just know I've heard George Wassouf sing it (and it seems odd to me that he'd cover a Barakat song since they are more like competitors, where covering Oum Kalthoum or Warda songs makes more sense since they are clearly in another league) as well as another Lebanese singer whose name is escaping me (maybe another George).

On here: http://www.maqam.com/store/p/1358-Sahra-Ataba-Mijana.html

Oh Eye, Shedder of Tears = يا عين صبى دمع

Yeah the first part is a traditional extolling the virtues and beauty of Beirut, the real song doesn't start til the real drums kick in. As for Georges Wassouf's cover, I'm not familiar with it, I do know Ilyas Nakhla had a pretty popular cover.

Also, for some reason I am really digging Georges Wassouf - Allah Kareem (الله كريم - جورج وسوف) even though last year I couldn't stand the song when half the taxi drivers and half the satellite channels were playing it nonstop. Dunno why, can't really explain it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jPoSDffKWk

Can anyone give me a starting point (and maybe a bit of background for her deification) for Kalthoum? I'm sure there's plenty of stuff already in the thread, but hey I'm lay-Z.

Here's a starting point:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYH1GzFZOkw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLmDUk4g7xg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No-ne4kVWnY

The Oum Kalthoum thread:

Oum Kalthoum, Om Kolthom, Om Kalsoum, Omm Kalsoum, Omme Kolsoum, Oom Koolsum, Oum Kalthoum, Oum Kalthum, Oum Kalsoum, Oum Kaltsoum, Oum Kolthoum, Oum Koulsoum, Oum Kulthum, Oum Kulthume, Um Kalthoum,

My favorite CD to recommend as an introduction is Robaeyat El Khayam, but I've yet to have anyone I recommend it to return as a grateful new convert.

As for her deification, a lot of it has to do with her having an incredibly powerful and expressive voice, and her great facility in improvisation. I don't think I've just been brain-washed, she really towers over just about all the competition. She is the embodiment of a certain form of Arab musical ideal, I think. (She also, of course, got to work with the best composers and musicians.)

For discussion of the overall picture, Virginia Louise Danielson's book on Oum Kalthoum is worth checking out (or if that's too much, try one of the shorter articles of hers that will turn up online).

http://www.afropop.org/multi/interview/ID/73/Virginia+Danileson+on+Umm+Kulthum

Thanks for that. I think the main reason I've not been struck by her is that I have no great love of the human voice compared to other instruments.

In that case you might be more interested in her later recordings, which tended to have lengthy instrumental sections. Still, the focus of the overall work is going to be on the vocals.

Also, you might want to consider Ana Fe Entezarak (lots of possible spellings as with everything else) because of the amount of interplay with the accompaniment. I wouldn't go as far as saying that they are equally in the foreground as her vocals, but there's a lot of instrumental work in that recording that stands out.

Or you might want to go for instrumental recordings of her songs, to at least get a sense of the material. The best instrumental versions I've heard are by her violinist Ahmed el Hifnawi. This CD in particular:

https://www.hollywoodmusiccenter.com/productDetails.php?1=1&userId=X2xG6qM7tL9vM3iA&productId=1316&language=english&

Or you might want to not bother if you aren't big on vocalists.

Also, I won't to go back and say it's not just her improvisatory skill but her mastery in general of phrasing, ornamentation, etc.

Wait, you are Rockist Scientist? Or do you both just have very similar tastes/posting styles?

Hahaha. Yes, this is the new Rockist Scientist screen name. I think it's probably permanent.

Oh lots of things make sense now. Did you move from Chicago to New Mexico then? that's interesting.

I moved to New Mexico, but I've never even been to Chicago. (It was Philadelphia.)

Incidentally, I even made a note in my profile about my name change this time, so this was all very above board.

George Wassouf is a difficult subject for me. He was one of the first Arab singers I clicked with in a big way, but I tended to already not like his newer music as much as his older music when I was just getting started listening. Then I got a clearer idea of what a technically good singer is in this context, and maybe partly because of that I drifted further away. I have to admit I was influenced by various Arabs I discussed these things with online. People (muso people anyway) who know about this music seem to really hate him. Yet he's obviously a superstar of some sort. I think I've come back around to enjoying some of his work without qualms. Having said all that though, his voice is really shot at this point.

Ivor, are you an expat from somewhere else, living in Lebanon?

Wait, you are in Africa now, according to your profile, not Lebanon.

Re: Georges Wassouf and popularity. He is mega-popular in the Levant and the Gulf but so are a lot of other bad Arab pop stars like Nancy or Haifa.

You mentioned that his voice is shot, which I totally agree and is also one of the reasons I am digging on the song I posted earlier tonight, Allah Kareem. It's almost the epitome of his style, the over-produced clubby backing track with him drunkenly moaning in the foreground. I love how the backing chorus is totally on-point and then Georges just stumbles on top and crowds them out. Kinda hilarious.

Also, I think a good start for Umm Kulthum is Anta Omri. (ام كلثوم - انت عمري). Clips can be found on youtube but I seriously recommend the 60 minute version that is easy to find on cd. It's a good demonstration of her vocal talent, power, and interplay with the chorus and backing musicians. Also, I'm spelling out everything in Arabic for youtube searching because arabic romanization varies from writer to writer.

Rudipherous: I've only spent a few weeks in Lebanon but have lived for years in the region in various places so am familiar with a bunch of styles found in the Arab world though not as familiar as I should be, sadly. I need to change my profile now, though, as I'm currently in DC.

Also, I'm spelling out everything in Arabic for youtube searching because arabic romanization varies from writer to writer.

Good idea. I've learned to try out the Arabic labels in youtube searches, once I've found an artist I want to hear.

I've said before, but I prefer the studio version of Inta Omri, which is inexplicably difficult to find on CD. I don't think it's a piece that really demonstrates what she's about as a singer. It seems more about Abdel Wahab, than Oum Kalthoum.

I can see your point about the GW song in the abstract, but it doesn't change my level of enjoyment any. The GW I got into initially was mostly live recordings, many of them early.

I'm not saying I like this (it pretty much runs against my taste on every level), but I'm drawn to it, or at least the album cover (seen on the related videos on the right):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTxHwdpUbd4

Pretty much "mook house" with standard current Arab pop vocals overtop.

this song has been my jam:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egXdSgF3qk8

the original blog post where i read about dina alieva calls it "MUSLIM TRANCE," but she's from chechnya, so i guess that's eastern european not arabic? here's where i discovered the track:

http://dismagazine.com/blog/3674/global-wav-muslim-trance-superstar/

i need more stuff like this!

Thanks for posting that. I don't know anything about Chechen music, but I definitely hear a continuity with Arabic/Turkish music in the rhythms. Maybe not so much in the melody or the pitch and timbre of the vocals? I can't tell the age of the singer, but to me she has the voice of a girl, but maybe that's just the vocal convention?

Her religious sincerity and fashion prowess are a cancerous combination. Those pants? …Are basically the future.

I have to agree her outfits look great.

I'm not really into the song overall, but it's okay.

There are some incredible Asmahan photos on this flickr account that I've never seen before:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/amir_sisi/with/2942216611/

Hi Rudipherous (and everybody else not posting on this thread) do you know this artist at all:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4130/4981882562_c88880dd1c.jpg

Recent late night listening for me. Seems to be a mix of live & studio stuff, possibly Assyrian artist but google is not helping. Any ideas??

Abdel Halim Hafez. Egyptian.

I think that's Abdel Halim Hafez anyway! Youngish Abdel Halim Hafez?

Yeah:

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&source=imghp&biw=922&bih=544&q=young+%22abdel+halim+hafez&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2

I thought I had seen that photo before, but then I was like wait maybe not.

Some of his videos are linked to on this thread. Of course, you could just go to youtube, but there's a little discussion of him here too.

Thanks man! Knew I could count on ya. Thought might be Assyrian cause guy I got the tape off was. I have two tapes with that photo on the front cover, one seems to be totally live and the other is a mixture and has a bunch of talking jive with the audience (who clearly worship him).
So did he arrange all his own stuff? Some of the tracks on these trapes are pretty out there...

err tapes

I don't think he arranged his own songs. A lot of his songs were written by Mohammed Abdel Wahab and Baligh Hamdi, both very prolific. Some of the music does get pretty crazy. This is a song about a man going to a fortune teller and being told that he has the saddest fortune the fortune teller has ever seen, etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIbuASgxRAo

FWIW, this is one of Robert Plant's favorite singers. This of course is also the singer of the Baligh Hamdi song ripped off by Jay-Z's "Big Pimpin."

Apologies for repeating the/my usual talking points.

Oh wait, I forgot to cut that description. I changed my mind about what to post since I couldn't find the instrumental intro to "Kariat Al Fengan," the song I was describing there. Man, I always screw these threads up.

Haha it's fine... yeah the Jay Z was the first thing that came up when I googled... I need to go through youtube and try and identify the tracks I have so I can start from there.
Off to watch that vid you posted first... thanks again!

I keep forgetting there's already a separate thread for this singer:

Abdel Halim Hafez: S/D & so on

I was just checking the latest releases on maqam.com and I'm seeing more new khaleeji, more new debka compilations, and more shaabi than usual (well, some sort of multi-volume/various artist compilation, which seems a bit unusual to me). I wonder if mainstream Egyptian pop is losing some of its dominance.

The two-volume Rashed Al Majed release, in particular, is one I'm likely to get.

arabic music is the most beautifull don't u think?

a modern-sounding take on classic Persian pop which features some deliciously undulating background vocals bathed in reverb. If it sounds ever so slightly too robotic in the contemporary Auto-Tune style, it’s still fairly intoxicating stuff.

SWM09.31 - THE BEHISTUN TRANSMISSION @1:40

(merry christmas to homeland security)

I don't know if I've posted this before, but the percussion is incredible and Samira Toufic really goes out there, imo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFmw37eZV5E

She deserves a freakin' box set more than a lot of people who have them.

this is wonderfull,,,

Maqam.com now offers a free streaming radio site!

http://radio.maqam.com/

Some ultra-slick, but I like it, belly dance music from Setrak playing right now.

Not into Fadl Shaker though. Still, if I were in a more receptive mood, just leaving this stream might be a good way to expose myself to more recent music (like this).

But as I'm not in the mood, I am turning this off. Bye bye Marwan Khoury.

Marcel Khalife and Oumayma Al-Khalil performing a song from At the Border. She's really spectacular. I'm not sure why she hasn't recorded more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hcy7v8WL2uQ

& not in a flashy way but in a chills-producing way.