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I feel that I must
begin with a disclaimer. I am not a musician so I cannot sophisticatedly
evaluate a piece of music with a musicians expertise. I hear the music
with the ears of a dancer, and from this perspective, I write my comments
and observations about this CD. As with most dancers, I am always listening
to new CDs in the hope of finding a new piece for a Raks Sharki style
dance. Some parts of this CD would work well in a performance, for example, the drum solo on Track 3.
Amir Sofi is a gifted
percussionist. His solos throughout the recording are strong, and clear
enough to pick up flagging energy in any piece of music, or to drive
a dance performance. Tracks 1 and 2 "Layali" and "Intel Hob", are not suitable dance pieces. They work for listening, or perhaps as background music for a dinner party. The first Track featured
a lot of conversations between various instruments such as violins and
mizmar. This is definitely an interesting juxtaposition due to the different
textures and emotions evoked by each instrument, but for me, the most
enlivening part was the dumbec. The second Track does
pick up in the middle, but is still not enough to inspire a dance performance.
Abdel Halim Hafezs
Cocktail on track 6 has some good traditional sounds:
again, with excellent transitions and solid dumbec. However, it starts
with "Caravan" which I found slightly silly. Cut the beginning and the
remainder is fine. Track 7
is another strong , although shorter, dumbec solo (2:50). It is also
quite innovative and uses unusual accents. Track 9,
"Amir Ooh Bess" was composed by Amir Sofi. It has an intense introduction
with a strong malfouf entrance, good breaks, and smooth transitions.
It is carried by a strong consistent baladi and features a good mizmar
solo and vocals. The finale was a little weak, but, overall, the final
track is also excellent.
As unconventional as it might be, I imagined the drum solo on track
1 instead of track 3 and tracks 1 and 2 at the end of the CD. Since
people often judge a CD by its first cut, an initial impression might
have changed the way I heard the entire CD. (This is always a good thing
to keep in mind when one listens to a new recording.)
Have
a comment? Send us a letter! Ready
for more? 2-27-04
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“Itneen- Tribal
Dance, Tribal Drums” by Helm Review by Yasmine, Sirens In
Sanity 12-5-03
Jillina’s
DVD or All Jillina, All the Time Video reviewed by Yasmela/ Shelley
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