Raks Sharki – Stage Cuts (Piranha Musik CD-PIR2856, 2014)
The popularity of raks sharki (also known as belly dance or Oriental dance and sometimes spelled raqs sharqi) has led to a demand of recorded Arabic music that is suitable for dancers. Jalilah (Lorraine Zamora Chamas) is one of the leading performers in Europe in this popular style.
Original raks sharki pieces tend to be long and there was a need for shorter versions so Jalilah selected traditional songs that were edited and remastered into irresistible shortened tracks, selected from six previous albums. One of the reasons for shortening the musical pieces lies in the fact that in earlier times the average length for a dance performance at festivals was between 10 to 20 minutes. Currently, the time given to dancers is normally less than five minutes.
The musicians featured on Raks Sharki – Stage Cuts include some of the leading Egyptian and Lebanese musicians in the genre: Mokhtar Al-Said’s “El Ferqa Al Mesaya” Orchestra, Hossam Shaker and his Ensemble, and Ihsan Al Mounizer. Raks Sharki – Stage Cuts is a great opportunity to become acquainted with raks sharki as an influential form of dance music. Additionally, it contains excellent performances by Arabic music virtuosos and percussion masters playing the Egyptian hourglass tabla (not to be confused with the Indian table) which is known as darbuka in other parts of North Africa.
“Stage Cuts is a tribute to the great names in Oriental Dance history – to all these musicians, composers and most of all to the performers who love and cherish this beautiful dance form!“, says Jalilah.
Jalilah is a renowned raks sharki dancer. Since 1985, she has visited Egypt numerous times to perfect her dancing and learn more about the Ghawazi (tribal dancing of the Nawari people, also spelled Ghawazee) style. She has performed with well-known music groups such as Sharkiat and Salamat. Jalilah leads advanced dance workshops that concentrate on music with Middle Eastern rhythms, Ghawazee and other folk dance genres.
Mokhtar Al-Said began as an accordionist and later became the director of El Ferka el Mesaya, a prominent group whose name translates as the Orchestra of Diamonds. He was active for over 30 years in the Egyptian music industry working with many well-known artists such as Abdel Halim Hafez, Farid el Attrashe, and Warda.
Hossam Shaker is a graduate from the Higher Institute of Arabic Music in Cairo and has worked as a musician, conductor and composer all over the world. In addition to classical Arab music Hossam also plays jazz and has performed with the well-known Arabic Jazz group Sharkiat led by Fathy Salama.
Lebanese composer Ihsan Al-Mounzer studied music at both the Beirut Conservatory and Cairo Conservatory. He accompanied famous singers such as Feyruz, Sabah and Wadi al-Safi and also composed music for many famous singers as well as music for Raks Sharki.
Raks Sharki – Stage Cuts is a fabulous introduction to the passionate world of belly dancing music.
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Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
