This CD is third in a series produced by Nourhan Sharif and the Egyptian Academy of Dance. In this instructional CD, Karim performs the complex rhythms extracted from the classical Arabic vocal tradition of Muwashahaat (Andalusian poems put to music) and adapts them for dance. Karim verbalizes each rhythm, performs them at 3 speeds, and follows up with a classic song example that uses each rhythm. Karim provides a full and dynamic sound with Arabic Tabla, Riqq, Segat, Dhola and Bassdrum. By introducing rhythms like Samai, 'Awis, Aqsaq and Muhajjar, Karim seeks to expand the dancer's vocabulary and rhythmic repertoire.

The Al-Zafeer Ensemble is a group that fuses the lush, ecstatic and driving rhythms and tones of Arabic music with the bright hued colors of jazz. Founded by composer, guitarist and Oud player Kareem Roustom, this debut recording is a culmination of his exploration of jazz, Middle Eastern Arabic music and orchestral music. An active composer and producer, Roustom has produced several albums, has composed scores for independent films, and has also worked as an arranger and orchestrater in the Los Angeles television and film scene.

Also on this recording are master Lebanese percussionist Souhail Kaspar (Sting, Simon Shaheen, Farid El-Attrash, Kronos Quartet) violinist Hanna Khoury (Yo-Yo Ma, Fayruz, Kazem El-Saher, Daniel Barenboim) bassist Danny Dunlap (Sting, Dr. Dre, The Jannuarys, AM Radio, Goldspost), and others.

Turbo Tabla is a hybrid of Arab and Turkish traditional music, bolstered by Techno, Hip Hop and House grooves. Producer, DJ, Dancer and Drummer Karim Nagi re-records classic songs with live musicians and authentic instruments (Oud, Nay, Clarinet, Buzuq, Qanun, Arabic Tabla and Riqq) while expanding the sound with Electronic music. This CD features performances by great Arab and Armenian musicians like Bassam Saba, Mal Barsamian, Jamal Sinnu, Saeed Khoury and singers Albert Agha and Hayet Ayad. This CD was a pioneer in the Arab Techno category, and has been choreographed to by numerous dancers in North America, Latin America and Europe.

This CD features the solos and accompaniments of Karim Nagi, an accomplished Riqq (Arab Tambourine) player, band leader and event producer originally from Egypt. This CD is a collection of live performances from concerts produced by Karim. The tracks feature some of the strongest Artists in America including the Sharq Ensemble, Yousseff Kassab, Alan Shavarsh Bardezbanian, Abdul-Wahhab Kayyali, George Ziadeh, and Karim's PanEastern Ensemble (which includes Arab, Turkish, Chinese, Indian and Iranian musicians and singers). This CD also features some of Karim's signature Riqq solos, and his intuitive accompaniment style. Song styles include classical Arabic Adwar, Muwashahaat, Samaiaat, Longaat and Armenian Folk.

Kan Zaman Community Ensemble performing Classical and Folkloric Arabic Music. With guest artist Abboud Bashir

Track list is:
1. Samai'i Shett Araban
2. Wasla in Maqam Kurd
3. Al Wardi Gamil
4. Alf Layla wa Layla
5. Wasla in Maqam Kurd
6. Wasla in Maqam Rast
7. Wasla Sha'bi

Total Time: 78:33

Kan Zaman Community Ensemble performing Classical and Folkloric Arabic Music.
Recorded Live recording, Beckman Auditorium, Caltech - Pasadena 1998

Track list is:
1. Wasla in maqam Bayyati
2. Wasla in maqam Ajam
3. Habibi ghaab
4. Tikayidni leh
5. Ya ward 'ala full
6. Taqsim kaman/George Hamad
7. 'Alallah t'oud
8. En rah minnik ya 'ain
9. Ya bid'il ward

Total Time: 68.44

Kan Zaman Community Ensemble performing Classical and Folkloric Arabic Music.
Recorded Live at the Los Angeles Theater Center November 11, 2000

Track list is:
1. Sama'i Hijaz
2. Taqsim 'Ud - Afif Taian
3. Wasla in maqam Hijaz
4. Rij'it Layali Zaman
5. Bassim 'an la'al
6. Folk songs (Syria & Lebanon)
7. Barhum Hakini
8. Saba Samer
9. Diggu al mahabij
10. Hawwil ya Ghannam

Total Time: 66:02

Salaam's third and newest release, "Laylat Salaam" (Night of Peace), is a collection of some of the band's best loved material. Featuring traditional folk and classical music from throughout North-Africa and the Middle East. Included are songs from Morocco, Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon, Andalusia, and Turkey, two Mohammed Abdel Wahab compositions, and a medley of Dabke tunes.
Recorded at Farm Fresh Studios, in Bloomington, IN, and mastered at Colossal Mastering, in Chicago, IL. This CD highlights the soulful performances, lush arrangements, and rich musical textures for which Salaam has become well-loved.

Enchanting classical Arabic and Turkish music is performed by Hicham Chami on qanun accompanied by Catherine Alexander on hand drums. The qanun, derived from the ancient psaltery, is a plucked stringed instrument with roots in the Middle East. Works from the classical Oriental genres (bashraf, samai, and longah) by major Arabic and Turkish composers of the 19th and 20th centuries in the Nawa Athar, Farahfaza, Bayyati, Rast, and Nahawand maqams (modes) capture the beauty and intricacy of classical Oriental music.

Award-winning musician Hicham Chami, a native of Morocco now living in Chicago, has studied qanun since age eight. He performs throughout the U.S. and leads the Oriental Classical Ensemble of Chicago.

"Hicham Chami is a truly gifted performer with a beautiful mastery found only in the most skilled and practiced musicians. His music is calming and exquisite in its subtlety."
-- Lindsay Siegel, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs

Salaam's second CD, "Raqsat Salaam" (Dance of Peace), documents the band's transition towards traditional folk and classical music of the Middle East. Sophisticated and richly textured, the music flows through many styles, emotions, and aural landscapes. Included on this CD are songs from Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Turkey and the Arabian Peninsula, and compositions from Mohammed Abdel Wahab, Farid Al Atrache, Mahmoud Hasan, Anwar Taha, and John Belezikjian. Also featured on this CD are two complete dance sets, arranged specifically for belly dancers by Katya Faris.
Recorded and mastered at Farm Fresh Studios, in Bloomington, IN. This CD makes an excellent companion to "Laylat Salaam".

The SHARQ Arabic Music Ensemble is composed of Arab Americans. The group specializes in traditional Arabic music, as it was performed for hundreds of years in the royal courts, art houses and concert halls of past Arabic kingdoms. SHARQ maintains this lost tradition and renews it with the vitality of modern musical acumen, perspective and expertise.

SHARQ was founded in 1998 by Egyptian percussionist Karim Nagi. In 2002 the ensemble added Syrian oudist and musical arranger Kareem Roustom. The ensemble has performed all over the USA in concert halls and festivals. The SHARQ Arabic Music Ensemble is dedicated to preserving and presenting traditional and classical Arabic vocal and instrumental music. Their repertoire is one that is rarely played by even the most dedicated professionals in the Arab world. SHARQ chooses vocal and instrumental pieces that illustrate the rich and buoyant possibilities of the genre, without fixating on the popular or commercial versions. SHARQ seeks to share this heritage through concerts and verbal presentations.

Karim Nagi / riqq
Kareem Roustom / oud
Aboud Agha / vocals
Hanna Khoury / violin
Jamal Sinno / qanun
Boujemaa Razgui / nay

The SHARQ Arabic Music Ensemble is composed of Arab Americans. The group specializes in traditional Arabic music, as it was performed for hundreds of years in the royal courts, art houses and concert halls of past Arabic kingdoms. SHARQ maintains this lost tradition and renews it with the vitality of modern musical acumen, perspective and expertise.

SHARQ was founded in 1998 by Egyptian percussionist Karim Nagi. In 2002 the ensemble added Syrian oudist and musical arranger Kareem Roustom. The ensemble has performed all over the USA in concert halls and festivals. The SHARQ Arabic Music Ensemble is dedicated to preserving and presenting traditional and classical Arabic vocal and instrumental music. Their repertoire is one that is rarely played by even the most dedicated professionals in the Arab world. SHARQ chooses vocal and instrumental pieces that illustrate the rich and buoyant possibilities of the genre, without fixating on the popular or commercial versions. SHARQ seeks to share this heritage through concerts and verbal presentations.

Karim Nagi / riqq
Kareem Roustom / oud
Aboud Agha / vocals
Hanna Khoury / violin
Jamal Sinno / qanun
Boujemaa Razgui / nay

This fourth CD in a series created by Nourhan Sharif was created for drummers and dancers alike. The goal is to show the great variety and diversity found among the different regions, countries, and genres of the Arab world. This recording introduces rhythms from five major geographic regions of Arab world: the Gulf "Khaligi" (Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Kuwait, and the Emirates), Egypt "Masri", North Africa (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia), Iraq, and the Levant or Arab East (Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Jordan). Do to time restraints, only two rhythms from each of these five regions are provided, as each region could easily fill an entire CD or more by itself. (Unfortunately, the continental African-Arab countries like Sudan, Somalia and Mauritania are not covered.) Several genres are covered, such as rhythms for vocal music (Sowt, Jurjuna), rhythms for group line dance (Dabkaat and Chobie), rhythms for spiritual rituals (Hadari) and rhythms for wedding ceremonies (Zaffa). When listening to this recording, you will begin to experience many concepts in Arab rhythm found in varying degrees, such as syncopation, swing, and polyrhythm (especially among the Gulf and North African samples). By using strong drumming with the Riqq, Tabla, Dhola, Duff, Bendir, and Karakab, each rhythm is given the strong propulsion necessary to create song and dance routines, as well as simply for practice. This CD will demonstrate both the diversity and unity among the beautiful rhythms found within this huge array of countries united by the same language and culture.

Rhythm Examples Include:
-GULF "Khaligi" (Adani 4/4, Sowt 8/4)
-EGYPT "Masri" (Bambi 8/4, Zaffa 4/4)
-NORTH AFRICAN "Maghrebi" (Moroccan Shaabi 6/8, Hadari 4/4)
-IRAQ "Iraqi" (Jurjuna 10/8, Chobie 4/4 and 6/4)
-LEVANT "Dabkaat" (Malfuf for Dabka 6/4, Maksoum for Dabka 12/4)

The Tabla,also known as the Doumbek and Darabuka,is an ancient instrument of the Arab World, and is rarely absent from any celebration. This goblet-shaped drum is used folk, popular and classical music throughout the Middle East and neighboring countries. Many around the world are drawn to this captivating instrument. With Rhythms of the Arab World Volume 1, world-renowned percussionist Karim Nagi will teach you the essential technique and rhythms so you can be playing with live bands, drum circles and dancers.

Karim Nagi is a native Egyptian teacher and performer of Arab music and dance. He is an internationally known percussionist who specializes is the Egyptian Tabla (a.k.a. Doumbek,Darabuka),the Riqq (tambourine),as well as frame drums and finger cymbals. His projects include the internationally sold Turbo Tabla CDs,the ultra traditional Sharq Ensemble, and his Arab Dance Seminar. His appearances include New England Conservatory, Yale University, The Kennedy Center, and the Egyptian Cultural Bureau. For more information on Karim Nagi,visit www.karimnagi.com

Chapters
1. Posture
2. Sounds: Dum, Tak, Ka, Sak, Is,
3. Technique Exercises
4. Switching Between Rhythms
5. Basic Ornaments
6. Rolls
7. Ayyoub
8. Masmudi
9. Maqsum
10. Malfuf
11. Wahda
12. Saidi
13. Sudasi
14. Saudi
15. Bonus Performance
16. Bloopers

The Tabla, also known as the Doumbek, is an ancient instrument of the Arab World, and is rarely absent from any celebration. This goblet-shaped drum is used folk, popular and classical music throughout the Middle East and neighboring countries. Many around the world are drawn to this captivating instrument. In Rhythms of the Arab World Volume 2, Karim Nagi builds upon the material in Volume 1 and takes you to the next level with challenging rhythms and essential insight on performing with a bellydancer. Karim Nagi is a native Egyptian teacher and performer of Arab music and dance. Running time: 100 min.

Karim Nagi is a native Egyptian musician and an accomplished performer and teacher of the RIQQ (Arab Tambourine). In this DVD Karim provides a detailed and vivid 2 hours of instruction. Karim explains proper technique, performs rhythms, and demonstrates how to accompany other musicians. Karim guides the student from the very beginning with grip and tone generation, all the way through advanced techniques and rhythms. This pure Arabic technique and style can be effectively applied to general Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Medieval European styles and music. The RIQQ is a versatile instrument with endless possibilities for color and expression. This DVD is the first definitive video tool that presents this unique instrument in its original, authentic usage and method for all levels. lessons by chapter include:
[1] Introduction - the system and approach to playing the traditional Arab style and method.
[2] Open position- a.k.a. 'Cabaret style' using cymbals (ayyub, masmudi & malfuf).
[3] Closed position a.k.a. 'Classical style' using skin (ayyub, masmudi & malfuf).
[4] Loud position- rhythmic shaking and rocking for an energetic volume and pace.
[5] Switching positions - going between each position seamlessly, to follow the music.
[6] Rhythm examples - from the simple to the complex: (wahda, york, muhaggar and more).
[7] Accompaniment - samai, andalusian, and qudud with oudist & singer Baha' Agha.
[8] Solo by Karim Nagi.

Salaam's self-titled first CD is an aural snapshot of the band's magical roots. A fusion of Middle Eastern sounds and Western song structures, the music on this record has mystical and ephemeral qualities. Included are melodies from the Sephardic tradition, Egypt, Armenia, and several original compositions by Dena El Saffar and Megan Weeder.
Recorded and engineered by Grey Larsen at his Sleepy Creek Studios. This album is characterized by a melodic and spatial wholeness drawn from Salaam's experimental beginnings.

The songstress Umm Kulthum (also known as Om Kalsoum, 1904-1975) dominated the Arabic music stage for most of the twentieth century. Music connoisseurs from all over the Arab world looked forward to listening to her live broadcast concerts, which took place on the first Thursday of every month. The luckier connoisseurs were those who could afford to attend her live concerts and those who could afford to travel from all over the Arab world to hear her perform live.

The phenomenal success of Umm Kulthum is due to many interconnected factors. She was schooled in the most sophisticated musical tradition: Islamic religious chant and recitation of the Holy Qur'an; at the same time, she possessed a very beautiful and powerful voice and an inimitable control of vocal ornamentations and improvisations. Initially trained by her father in religious chant, she branched out to the secular world; there she found a wealthy audience of fine music connoisseurs who provided the social and economic maintenance needed for her fame and success.

Next were her shrewd sense of business, an orchestra made up of the most skillful instrumentalists, great poets such as Bayram al-Tunisi and Ahmad Rami, and last but not least, three composers of genius: Muhammad al-Qasabji, Riyad al-Sunbati, and Zakariyya Ahmad. These three colossi, also known as the "Three Musketeers", knew how to compose for her in a way subsequent composers could not. It is, therefore, not surprising that the "golden age" of Umm Kulthum was in the thirties and forties, when the above poets and composers wrote her songs.

Of the Three Musketeers, Zakariyya Ahmad stands out as the traditionalist. He took most of his musical inspiration from the mashayekh, that is, the hymnodists who chanted and composed religious chant during the festivites surrounding the Prophet Muhammad's birthday, or the birthday of religious Islamic saints or Sufis. As a result, his musical style is as Egyptian as can be, with hardly any Western influence. Muhammad al-Qasabji and Riyad el-Sunbati, respectively nicknamed Asab (sugar cane) and Abu el-rod (literally, father of the garden) by Umm Kulthum, experimented with Western music and musical instruments side-by-side with the established tradition.

THE COMPOSERS

Muhammad al-Qasabji (1892-1966)

Muhammad al-Qasabji, a contemporary of Sayyed Darweesh (born less than a month before him), was influenced by Darweesh and shared his interest in Western musical styles. Al-Qasabji, who produced an oeuvre of 360 songs, incorporated European instruments and musical concepts such as harmony. He played 'ud in Umm Kulthum's takht; she performed his songs until 1946.

This CD includes two al-Qasabji compositions set to poems by Ahmad Rami: Ya Fayetni, first recorded in 1931, and Leh Tilaw'ini, first recorded in 1932.

Zakariyya Ahmad (1896-1961)

Zakariyya Ahmad embodied an indigenous Egyptian style (both in his traditional dress and populist outlook); Dr. Virginia Danielson writes that he was the "greatest composer of colloquial Egyptian music that Umm Kulthum worked with", and that his music had a "sing-a-long" quality to it, though with a daunting vocal range. Umm Kulthum performed Ahmad's songs until 1947.

Three works by poet Bayram el-Tunisi are included with the Ahmad compositions on this recording: Habibi Yessa'ed Awkatu and Ana F-intizarak (1943) and Ghannili Shewayya Shewayya (from the film Sallama; recorded in 1944).

Riyad al-Sunbati (1906-1982) Riyad al-Sunbati also enjoyed an informal "mentorship" with Sayyed Darweesh and was inspired by him. Al-Sunbati met Umm Kulthum in 1922 and wrote his first song for her in 1928. He composed for her for decades, including numerous qasa'id by Ahmad Shawqi. Al-Sunbati favored Western instruments such as cello, bass, accordion, piano, and mandolin.

Two al-Sunbati compositions set to Rami poems are included on this CD: 'Ala Baladi al-Mahbub, sung in the film Widad and recorded in 1935; and Ifrah ya Qalbi, 1937, from the film Nashid al-Amal.

Sheikh Sayyed Darweesh is, without a doubt, one of modern EgyptGÇÖs, and perhaps the Arab worldGÇÖs, most influential composers. His contribution to Egyptian music not only created a bridge from the 19th to the 20th century, but also connected the music of the Near East to that of the West. An early pioneer in the domain of GÇ£world music,GÇ¥ DarweeshGÇÖs musical output was local but his musical vision was cosmopolitan.

Despite his early death at the age of thirty-one, Sayyed Darweesh left behind a prodigious legacy of thirty musicals, eleven adwar (long song forms with complex melodies and multiple sections), and over 150 songs. Almost all of this music was composed in the last seven years of his life! In addition to his legacy, Sayyed DarweeshGÇÖs music exerted an unmistakable and indelible influence on the most important generation of Egyptian composers that followed: Muhammad Abdel-Wahab, Riyad Al-Sunbati, Zakaria Ahmed, and Muhammad Al-Qasabgi, all of whom had a major role in defining Arabic music from the 20th century on.

The music of Darweesh was Egyptian in content and context. It was imbued with a strong sense of newly-found Egyptian nationalism that flourished as the Ottoman yoke was being shed from the Arab world during the First World War. Darweesh was steeped in the tradition of 19th-century Arabic music and, having studied to be muqri, a reader of the QurGÇÖan, he was well-versed in QurGÇÖanic chant. At the same time, he embraced the modern and the GÇ£other.GÇ¥ He loved Italian opera and greatly admired Verdi. Yet, ever aware of the rich heritage around him, Darweesh also learned Christian hymns from the Syrian Orthodox church, which he once referred to as GÇ£Godly opera.GÇ¥

Sheikh SayyedGÇÖs legacy is a complex one to fathom. His music was imbued with a nationalistic pride. The idea of GÇ£Egyptian musicGÇ¥ was central to his work. Furthermore, DarweeshGÇÖs music is often described as the GÇ£voice of the people.GÇ¥ Indeed, many of his songs reflected and bemoaned the situation of the working class. Sayyed Darweesh composed songs about water carriers, waiters, shoeshine boys, horse carriage drivers, factory workers, lottery ticket vendors, and others. His music also dealt with the problems of the day. One song described the impending end of the water carrier tradition when an English company introduced plumbing into Egypt. He connected with the GÇ£peopleGÇ¥ because he was one of them.

It has been argued that DarweeshGÇÖs strong melodic sense gave extra potency to the lyrical content. This gave his politically-themed music GÇ£teeth.GÇ¥ This fact was not lost on the regime of King Faruq, who banned the reprinting of DarweeshGÇÖs records. His music was often critical of the British occupation or the corrupt Egyptian monarchy of the post-Ottoman period. Like many Egyptians who were active in the revolution of 1919, Sheikh Sayyed felt betrayed by the British occupiers and directed his anger directly at the British-appointed King Faruq. Yet Darweesh also called the modern Egyptian to action. In GÇ£Ya Bint Al YomGÇ¥ (TodayGÇÖs Girl), he tells the women to GÇ£wake upGÇ¥: GÇ£you speak several languages and are as smart and talented as your European counterparts. YouGÇÖve had enough sleep.GÇ¥ In the very same song, he calls for voting rights for women. In GÇ£Salma Ya Salama,GÇ¥ he tells the would-be emigrant to GÇ£forget Europe, forget America; Egypt is the place to be.GÇ¥ The lyrics are energized by a sense of pride in Egyptian history and a GÇ£can doGÇ¥ optimism that resembles that of early 20th-century U.S.

Grounding DarweeshGÇÖs forward-looking musical and political ideas were his deep roots in Arabic music. His contribution to the GÇ£classicalGÇ¥ Arabic musical repertoire is so vast that many musicians are often surprised to discover a piece thought to be qadim, meaning GÇ£oldGÇ¥ and implying anonymity, to be one of DarweeshGÇÖs. He began setting to music poems, called muwashshahaat, that were written by Arab poets in Andalusian Spain. These songs entered the existing repertoire of muwashshahaat songs and have become veritable GÇ£war horsesGÇ¥ of the classical music repertoire.



Hicham Chami, founder of the Chicago Classical Oriental Ensemble, selected Egyptian composer Sheikh Sayyed Darweesh as the focus of a new CD project. Working with composer/arranger Kareem Roustom, songs were chosen from the extensive Darweesh repertoire, ranging from themes of love to nationalism. Dalia Alshafi transcribed the lyrics, referring to the "Firqat al-Musiqah al-`Arrabiyyah" songs and reconciling them with the original lyrics of Darweesh's recordings in his own voice. Translations for the CD booklet were prepared by Dr. Iman Roushdy Hammady and Nabeel Ebeid. Fifteen musicians from the U.S., Canada, and the Near East converged on Chicago to record GÇ£The Songs of Sheikh Sayyed Darweesh: Soul of a People,GÇ¥ which will fill a unique niche in the Arabic music market and provide a lasting tribute to this influential composer.

The Chicago Classical Oriental Ensemble consists of professional musicians from several countries in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. The ensemble performs traditional instrumental and vocal music from the Arabic, Turkish, Armenian, and Sephardic repertoires.

The CCOE presented its debut performance in 2003 at the Oriental Institute in Chicago, for the opening of the Edgar and Deborah Jannotta Mesopotamian Gallery. The ensemble performed with the Anda-El East West Orchestra during a nationwide tour showcasing Andalusian music in 2004. The CCOEGÇÖs 2005 tour, including performances at the United Nations and Kennedy Center as well as museums and cultural centers across the country, highlighted contemporary compositions by international artists. The CCOE's seven-city nationwide tour in 2006 featured "The Songs of Sheikh Sayyed Darweesh: Soul of a People."

Led by Hicham Chami, a Moroccan-born qanun performer based in Chicago, the CCOE represents a unique experience in the world of classical Oriental music in the U.S.

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KEW Records "We're All Children of the Sea" (by Kevin "K.C." Williams and Arlene Skwierawski)

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