World-class percussionist R.A. Fish explores a myriad of rhythms performed on the small but powerful ancient drum of the Middle East. An electrifying odyssey into the realm of world drumming that includes the fundamental r... more »hythms for belly dancing. A truly phenomenal sounding, all-digital recording. Some selections feature bells or flute.« less
World-class percussionist R.A. Fish explores a myriad of rhythms performed on the small but powerful ancient drum of the Middle East. An electrifying odyssey into the realm of world drumming that includes the fundamental rhythms for belly dancing. A truly phenomenal sounding, all-digital recording. Some selections feature bells or flute.
CD Reviews
This is really rather lame
02/16/2003
(1 out of 5 stars)
"I've been studying dumbek for about 10 years now and the other week a dancer friend of mine played this CD all the way through for me thinking I would love it because I'm a drummer. Well, it is..to be rather blunt about it..quite lame. Drummers if you buy this please don't think its the end all be all of dumbek. Its soo not. I have been collecting just about each and every dumbek CD I can get my hands on for years and do not have the slightest desire for this one. None. I agree with what the person from Berkley said! The "solos" are uninspired, repetive, and just, well boring. I want to hear this guy in person. He's not *bad* really,.. but for someone claiming to be a percussion master, well, HA. I think someone needs to go to Middle Eastern music camp or something. I wouldn't be so harsh if it didn't say that. If he was just some guy playing at a party, okay. But for a supposed "Master" with a cd. zzzzzzI live near a large arabic community with plenty of nightclubs and a good dance scene. There are guys in the area (who no one has ever heard of, because they don't have cds -argh!) that are WAY better than this guy. I hang out frequently watching in awe. The difference is night and day! This guy Fish, sounds..okay. But he just does not have that arabic sound, not by a long shot. If you want a cd with some really good drumming on it then try anything with Souhail Kaspar on it, or Hossam Ramzy for starters. Hossam has a Introduction to Rhythm cd thats pretty good, though a bit fast for total beginners. Or Burhan Orcal like the other poster said. Also try Jalilah's Raks Sharki 4 Rhythm Workshop. The rhythm is played in a basic manner, then a snippet of a song with the rhythm in it. Great for learning to drum with music. And later on there are practice tracts to play to longer. Also..I doubt Amazon has it but Susu Pampain (from CA) has some cool drum solo CDs out there too, and could drum the pants of this guy. Happy drumming"
For Dancers Only
Brian G Holderness | West Long Branch, New Jersey United States | 01/30/2002
(2 out of 5 stars)
"If like me you are looking for an introduction to the wonderful rhythms that are possible from the doumbek, keep looking. As an aspiring doumbek player in search of inspiration, I found the liner notes and musical notation contained there only gave the most superficial outlines of the drumming which, within seconds, becomes embellished to the point where it is no longer recognizable. Unless you enjoy listening to non-stop solo drumming, I would not recommend this CD. I can only imagine that this disk would be useful for practicing middle-eastern dancers in need of a drummer with a pause button. I would, however, recommend R.A. Fish's 'Fish On The Desert' CD as highly listenable on its own thanks to the inclusion of traditional arabic instrumental melody and more instructive for traditional arabic rhythms."
Extremely disappointing
Brian G Holderness | 03/13/2001
(1 out of 5 stars)
"I'm puzzled as to how anyone could give this CD a good review. Other than a very clear sound, it has almost nothing going for it. It is one of the dullest and most unoriginal drum recordings I have ever heard, and fails utterly to capture the spirit of true Middle Eastern drumming.Long, repetitive passages do not create a hypnotic effect; rather they imply a lack of originality, ability, and ingenuity in playing. "World-class percussionist" (as the CD booklet boldly proclaims) R.A. Fish barely scratches the surface of what the doumbek can do in the right hands. How this recording ever got made is a complete mystery to me.If you are looking for true playing that is soulful, authentic, and dazzlingly virtuosic, look no further than the many recordings of the Turkish musician, Burhan Ocal, rightly regarded as the finest doumbek player in the world. I had the privilege of seeing him perform live recently, and was stunned by his ability and expressiveness.Waste neither your time nor money on this feeble attempt, go for Ocal and the real thing."
White men can't, eh, play doumbek
Victor Eijkhout | Knoxville, TN USA | 07/23/2005
(1 out of 5 stars)
"The other reviewers have already explained it in sufficient detail: this disc is a total turn-off. Lacks any sort of excitement. It doesn't inspire me to pick up my drum, I fail to see how dancers would be inspired by it, it's repetitive, compared to Arabian drummers I've heard it's fairly unidiomatic, there's nothing of any technical or musical interest. The worst Arabian percussion CD I've heard by far."
Track Listings (6) - Disc #1