Search - Hossam Ramzy :: Gypsies of the Nile-Rahhal

A Must have for all dancers

Lucy Lipschitz | Tucson, AZ United States | 06/03/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The first music I learned to dance to was Ghawazee music, which is from the Egyptian Gypsies. Over the years, I have heard and danced to all types of modern, high-fangled synthesizers, Arabic pop music, lots of wonderful stuff.
But this CD takes me back to my roots. This CD is awesome, and is what I consider Ghawazee at its finest! The instruments are real and organic, there is real singing on it (not synth voices); it is almost like a sing-along for Egyptian people. These are songs performed at weddings, parties, and sing of love love love. Each song opens with a nice taksim, about a couple of minutes long, then will burst into incredible drumming, using a basic rhythm from the bass drum (sometimes called balady, also called masmoudi), while the dumbeks follow and enhance the under beat. This is a good way to practice basic zill techniques, since the drumming is so clear and strong. On top of all this, the singing is REAL-- soulful, gut-wrenching, meaningful. Only the titles are translated from Egyptian Arabic to English, and if one could get a full translation of each song, it would be perfect. There is not one song on this I don't love. This is great performance music. If one were to dance for a crowd of people who are unfamiliar with real belly dancing, this music would capture them. If dancing for other dancers, they would probably be enchanted. And if a song is awesome, a dancer can look awesome with the most minimal of movement. This CD would also work well for troupes, with its clear changes in rhythms and strong drumming. The music is very dramatic so it could carry any dancer or troupe choreography well.This would also be good for beginners who want to get a sample of strong basic rhythms. This is my favorite dance CD at this time, one of those ones where I have to listen to it all day."