Arabic music (not elsewhere classified)

RFI: music like tanger music?

Can't help there.

Of the three Al Hifnawi CDs I bought, so far I like this best:

http://www.allegro-music.com/sku_images/HMC31387.JPG

The Grand Melodies of Om Kalsoum. He's performing here with her orchestra (of which he was a member, of course), but it sounds to me like a slightly more stripped down version of it than you hear in a lot of her mid-to-late-career recordings, which is a good thing in my book. For one thing, there seems to be a bit more heterophonic stuff going on, at least on some cuts. This collection focuses on songs from the late 30s and 40s (also I good thing, imo). Anyway, I think this is an excellent instrumental introduction to the old classical/popular Egyptian music. It might just work as a way to ease people into approaching Oum Kalthoum's vocals somewhere down the line. If it isn't obvious, Al Hifnawi's violin takes the place (to the extent that's possible, etc. etc.) of Oum Kalthoum's voice here.

it sounds to me like a slightly more stripped down version of it

Could just be the arrangements and not actually a change in the size of the orchestra. Plus, given the quieter dynamics of Al Hifnawi's violin playing, it can't really let itself get as loud as it would in accompanying Oum Kalthoum's amplified voice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nkf5czm7k8I

This very odd cover makes me want this, though I'm pretty sure I don't like Haifa Wehbe: http://www.melody4arab.com/music/lebnan/hifia_wahby/haifa_baby_____________________/q8lots12698933421.jpg

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/38841/simon-shaheen-at-the-atlas-performing-arts-center

Ghazal is doing a 6 city tour of North America with Afghan pop singer Jonibek. They'll be at the Sheraton in Tyson's Corner Virginia out side DC Friday May 21 and in a Marriot in Melville, NY (Long Island) Sat. May 22

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3ye_Jp4iDs

Not being facetious, but this might better go on an Indian or Persian music thread. Afghan music is more closely related to those. Of course I haven't looked at these particular artists so maybe there is some connection I'm missing.

Oh, that song sounds pretty good, and she's really cute as well.

I wasn't sure where to put it-- I think I mentioned the show on the global whirled thread but then decided it might be better elsewhere. There's no Afghan thread and I do not know enough about that music to say whether it is more like Persian or Indian than Arabic.

This is great! I have this on cassette!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt4fO5NYfck

Milhem Baraket. Did I already post a version of this song, I can't remember?

More earlyish George Wassouf:

http://www.youtube.com/user/rmi3000#p/u/290/Lh2Aj4R_pDo

No pretty sure that's the first time I've found and linked to that Melhem Baraket song.

The way the song unfolds and builds is just impeccable. I like the way the lines get repeated and there is a different melody for each line (is there?), which incidentally may mean that this is following a relatively classical sort of approach to song structure. If I remember my Ali Jihad Racy.

I'm pretty sure he writes most of his own material, incidentally.

Not that it's considered polite to mention such things on ILM.

Listening again: these rhythms feel soooooo comfortable to me and they have from the beginning as far as I can remember. I may not actually dance to this, but I definitely dance inside, and it's hard not imagine some sort of movement, though I don't think I'm quite up to doing what the music asks for. Too bad the audio is even worse than what I have on cassette.

Love the seemingly compulsive ornamentation on the keyboard parts too.

You guys have no ears!

I realize abuse is not actual helpful, but come on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt4fO5NYfck
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt4fO5NYfck
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt4fO5NYfck
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt4fO5NYfck

It's a shame the way the distinctive Arab sounding (monophonic? I think it's monophonic) chorus came to dominate so much of this music. I'd probably listen to far more Arabic music if it weren't for this chorus sound being all over the place. Right now I am checking out clips from some Sabah and Wadi el Safi CDs. I love the lead vocals. I like the material being sung. But the choirs are kind of annoying. It's not that I can't tolerate them, but I don't need to hear dozens or hundreds of albums with that same sound. And if it's so essential, why did Oum Kalthoum successfully do without it for most of her career?

If I were the Arabic Music Czar. . .

Way to ruin a lot of great music, guys!

This is the sound that has pretty much dominated Arabic popular music since, at least in Egypt (but Egypt tends to export the most music to the rest of the Arab world). I'm pretty sure this track is from the original "new sound" album. This is the sound that initially drew me to Arabic music, really, although I pretty immediately liked some other things once exposed to them (not Oum Kalthoum though).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FUb4PomhOI

I find rmi3000's channel fascinating because it covers the early history of "new sound" which is where my personal history with Arabic music begins (give or taking a very small amount of dabbling before that).

Just kinda lazily wrapping up loose ends here, I think.

One of my personal nicknames for this music at the time I was listening to a ton of it was "clap clap music."

Well then, here's Milhem Baraket performing what I'm pretty sure is just a song everybody covers, but I'm not sure exactly how old it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvFuNdTGki8

a song everybody covers

Every Lebanese male singer anyway.

I mentioned Nour Mehanna upthread, but I never linked to any yootoobs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91XirXm2t3o

Pretty amazing vocalist. (Syrian.)

Also does stuff like this, and various others points in between a more classical/traditionalist approach and pop:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3Q_113ENN0

Lebanon 80's Top 100 Arabic Hits:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0SxMRLcdjc

I recognize #39 (in fact, I wish I knew who it was), so it was still kicking around on mixes in the first half of the 90s.

I love it when Rudipherous talks to itself.

It's sad that no one else here (including me) knows anything about this music to converse with him. I wish more folks familiar with Arabic music who could converse in English knew about this board.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128431817

Fairuz from Lebanon on NPR

And a Radio Lebanon dj's summer faves on NPR (well, a story about one, and a listing of others)!

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128668709&ps=cprs

She still refuses interviews

Pretty sure I've seen recent interviews with her.

Anyway, curmudgeon, don't worry. I have the music itself, though it would be nice to know more about it, just on a basic "what is this song so I can look for a better copy of it of some sort" kind of way. It's funny that I'm all excited to find a song like that Milhem Barakat song on youtube after all these years, only to be met by silence here when I share it. But it's okay. I have no doubts about the song.

The weird thing for me in hearing that Barakat song is how his intonation and scale-climbing at the very beginning reminds me vaguely of some cantors I have heard in synagogues. Middle East conflicts will go on and on but at the risk of sounding cliched, the peoples share certain cultural similarities.

He's a Christian, like a lot of prominent Lebanese singers, so that strand of liturgical tradition (probably the Maronite church specifically) would be a source for him. I'm not sure if that's closer to Jewish cantorial tradition than Qur'anic recitation (etc.), but possibly. Let me mention again that those Ghada Shbeir recordings Syriac liturgical music are worth hearing (and some of this music is clearly a source for Lebanese popular music, or shares a common source).

Interesting. Thanks.

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.