MUSIC
Yallah
Ya Helwa - (Let's Go, Beautiful) - by Yallah
Dance, Inc. **** stars out of ****
(updated 1/25/04)
I just recently ordered this CD, hoping I would at least get one or two good songs off of it. As those of us out there know, sometimes you are lucky to get one or two usable songs. The music was top-notch and the quality of the CD was impeccable. I was thrilled when I listened to the complete CD, because EVERY SINGLE TRACK on this CD is amazing. Not only is every track danceable and usable in a routine, but, the producers of the CD did a few things that I wish every music producer would take note of. One of them is that they separated every song into it's own track, for example: the second piece is entitled Yallah Ya Helwa, clocking in at 13:27, BUT, if you want to cut and paste that song, they made it easy by dividing that song into 4 separate tracks! Case in point: I love track 2, except I am not a big fan of slow rhumbas, so, I take out that track and use the rest of the song. When I need a slow veil or sword piece, I love slow chiftitellis or slow karsimillas. Another thing the music producer did is that they listed the different rhythms and time signatures for EACH piece. Very useful for teachers......I was thrilled with the way they approached this CD. They also listed the times of each track on the back of the CD, so you don't have to go fumbling around the CD looking for the time, or worse yet - (which, unfortunately, is common) have to put the CD in your player to figure out the time.
Track 1: Bedek Tourski (Want to Dance) 6:53
This is a very beautiful and fun entrance song. It has a beautiful
entrance, gorgeous melody line over very nice solid percussion work. I've been
using this song alot as an entrance piece. Here are the rhythms in the
piece,malfuf, maksoum, kaleegi, and saidi, then the finale.
Tracks 2 - 5 Yallah Ya Helwa (Let's Go, Beautiful) 13:27
This is my favorite piece on the CD. It consists of a rhumba at 2:45,
saidi, chiftitelli and traditional beledi at 8:12 and a drum solo at 1:50, then
the final at 1:20. It is a great piece of music in totality. Lots of
rhythm and tempo changes. I use this one immediately after the first song
on the track, except I take out the rhumba, (track 2). Not because the
slow rhumba is bad, in fact, it is a very nice piece, but I personally do not
like slow rhumba's. The slow ciftitelli section is absolutely
beautiful. The drum solo is fun, very nicely done with excellent
clear drumming. You can really show off your dancing with this entire
song.
Track 6 - Ya Musafer (The Traveler) 4:31
This song is karachi rhythm. I believe this is an old song, I've heard
lots of versions of it. This is a wonderful totally modern version of this
piece. If you like karachi, you will love this song, and if you like
oldies but goodies, this one's for you! I take African Drumming sometimes (it
kills my hands though!) with a women's' group - and I was told this rhythm is
used in African drumming too.
Track 7- Caravan Drum Solo 3:31
This drum solo is a combination of 8/4, 4/4 and 2/4 time signatures. So it
is fun to dance to. I personally would use this drum solo for teaching
class. I think it's perfect for that. It has a slower tempo
than most drum solo's so it makes it great for teaching. It speeds up of
course at the 2/4 time signature. Very nicely done, and can also be danced
to in performance.
Track 8- Enabee 4:22
Masmoudi 8/4, Maksoum 4/4 and Malfuf 2/4
This song is very nice. Has a pretty melody over the strong
drumming. Perfect song to use in the middle of your routine. Has
short drum solo's in the song - a few seconds long or so.
Track 9 - Alash Ya Ghazale 3:27
Moroccan 6/8. Beautifully done song. Very lovely melody over a
strong 6/8. If you like 6/8 like I do - you will love this piece.
Track 10 - Maksoum Drum Solo 2:28
4/4. This is my favorite drum solo. I happen to love maksoum.
This is a fun drum solo to dance to. It's not blazingly fast, but....it
has nice stops and starts, some really good accents happen here, so lot's of
opportunity for pops and locks and to show off your technique!
Track 11 - Yallah Dance (Let's Go, Dance!)
7:24
Beledi with accordion Taksim 4/4, 2/4. This is your typical, traditional
accordion beledi song. Very nicely done. The song does not start
speeding up until about 5 minutes into the music. If you like traditional
Egyptian beledi music to dance to with lots of heavy accordion, this song's the
one to use.
Track 12 - Felahi Drum Solo 2:44
2/4. Another great drum solo on this CD. That makes four total, the
first drum solo being within song 2, (track 4), caravan drum solo, the maksoum
drum solo, and now the felahi.
Track 13 - Al Bedaya (The Beginning) 1:18
This is a repeat of the finale for song 2, which is track 5.
Contact Yallah Dance Inc. for more information on
ordering. yallahdance@aol.com or www.yallahdance.com
You will not be disappointed investing in this CD.
Millenium,
Music by Amir Sofi
(4 stars **** out of 4 )
(reviewed on 8.24.03)
There are 9 tracks on this CD. I would recommend this CD for a
professional/advanced level dancer more than I would for a beginner or
intermediate dancer because of the many tempo and rhythm changes in the tracks.
The beginner/intermediate may be frustrated with the music. I
appreciated that a few of the song titles were translated on the cover. It
really helps to know what the composer had in mind while writing the song.
Since Layali and Holom are instrumentals, you have an idea of the sense of the
song, and can translate that into your dancing. I wish more CD's would
have translations of song titles, and yes, dare I dream....even songs
themselves! That would be fantastic.
The first four tracks would make a nice routine in and of itself, same with the
next four tracks. You can also "cut & paste" to make your
own performance CD, which is what I have done with these songs.
The first track is perfect for an entrance song. Very melodious,
rhythmic and upbeat. Tempo changes are nice. The drumming is clear
and precise, as it is on all the tracks. A very pretty song. The
song ends on an upbeat note.
Entel Hob is a very pretty arrangement done by Amir Sofi from a song written by
Mohammed Abdel Wahab. A slower tempo piece for the most part, with some
quicker tempo changes. Nice for veil, sword, floor work, some nice taxsim
work from the dancer, etc. Let your imagination fly.
The first solo drums track is a longer drum sequence, clocking in a 5:18.
It was definitely written with a dancer in mind. Some drum solos are
written for a drummer to showcase his skill. This track is perfectly
danceable with clear and precise drumming, excellent musicianship, and a fun
piece. It starts slow, but not for long, and then builds up in tempo and
intensity to an extended drumroll perfect for showing off shimmies. It
then picks up the drumbeat and again builds up quickly and ends suddenly, which
can make for a very dramatic ending. This was my favorite drum solo out of
the two.
Next track is Holom (dream). This piece is my new favorite song and
favorite on the CD. I have been using it quite frequently lately as an
entry song. It is gorgeous. Also alot of tempo and rhythmic
changes. The changes in this song are much more pronounced than in the
first track. A gorgeous melody. Everytime I dance to it, I get asked
"Where did I get this music?" Lovely. This song can really show
off your skills as a dancer.
Next track is a compilation of tunes written by Abdel Halim Hafez rearranged and
played by Amir Sofi and his orchestra. Alot of compilations are thrown
together without regard for how well they blend into one another. Not this
track! Very well done. Smoothly played from one song to another. You
will recognize these songs, they are very well known bellydance tunes, (whose
names I cannot think of at this moment at 7 in the morning on Sunday!).[ I am
extremely bad with names, as my students and children can attest
to. Anyone out there with tips on remembering names? Drop me a line,
would be much appreciated! maria@boulderbellygrams.com
] I hummed and danced along to all the songs, I know them and you will
too. I heard four different tunes in the one track. Very nicely
done.
Next up is the second drum solo of the CD. Clocking in at 2:58 it is
almost half the length of the first. It quickly builds up to an extended
drum roll. Then goes back to medium tempo drumming and slows back down.
Picks up again in tempo and intensity to end with a small drum roll.
The last track on the CD is Amir Doh Bess. This is the only track on the
CD with vocals. The male vocals come in towards the end of the song.
Song is upbeat, modern and fun. Starts out medium tempo. Very pretty
melody line. Steadily picks up in tempo as the song progresses. Some
nice breaks are inserted into the tune. Perfect for showing off your hip
work and musicianship in your dancing. Some nice violin work over the
rhythm section. There is a few very short drum solos before and
after the vocals.
I give this CD 4 out of 4 stars and highly recommend it for your musical
library.
Go to my links page under merchant links, and you
will find links where to buy music.
Golden
Oriental Belly Dance Music
(updated 8/29/02)
Egyptian styling and rhythm tempo changes is what
distinguishes this CD out from the crowd. The shortest song is 3 minutes, with
the longest at 6:36. Very good lengths for making a full 20 to 30"
club routine from. I recommend this Cd. Excellent
musicianship. There are alot of nice songs that you can use for different
styles of dance, cane, sword, entrance, drum solo etc. There are 9 songs
total on the CD. You could create an entire routine out of the one
CD.
The first song is El Iyoun el Soud, clocking in a 3:48 seconds. It has a
lot of nice tempo and rhythm changes to show off your dancing and is very
dramatic. The beginning of song 2 blends nicely into the end of song one,
so you can use song 1 and song 2 as one song. Song 2 is a beautiful
song. Very pretty with a sharp change in rhythm and styling about 1 minute
and 45 seconds into the 3 minute song, and then changes back into the original
melody line towards the very end.
Song 3 isReeahh Ashamalii, at 4 minutes and 19 seconds. Medium/slow tempo,
building into a fast tempo towards the middle, then slowing down again, with a
nice dramatic finale. Nice Egyptian sound, again, lots of tempo
changes.
Song 5 is Anna Fintizarak, at 4:04. There are lots of recordings of this
song out there. This version is one of my favorite. Very nicely
done. Pretty violin work.
Song 5 is Taj Mahal at 5:17. It is basically a drum solo starting with a
slow to medium drum solo building up into a faster tempo at around 4
minutes. I don't like this drum solo too much, it's a little too
predictable.
Song 6 is Demoah at 4:43. Very pretty song, would appeal to American
audiences. I would imagine veil work would be very nice with this
piece. I like to listen to this song while driving, it has a beautiful
rhythmic relaxing quality to it.
Song 7 is Nejma at 5:24. A fabulous piece for cane work with a nice drum
solo section thrown in the middle of it. Great mizmar work. (I like
mizmar) The mizmar in this piece is not that screechy, it is beautifully
done. One of my favorites on the entire CD.
Song 8 is Alla Ein Moulaetein at 6:36, the longest piece on the entire CD.
Again, there are lots of versions out there. I never was a huge fan of
this song, but it is well done and very pretty. One of the best versions
I've heard of the piece.
Song 9 is Solo Tabla at 3:27. It is a nice drum solo, in which they tried
to "modernize" the drum solo with some bizarre sounding synthesizer
sound effects at times. It's fast, fun and
funky.
ORIENTAL FANTASY - VOLUME 7 - DANCES OF PHARAONIC
PASSION -Beata & Horacio Cifuentes
(reviewed 10/26/01)
This CD was produced in 1999 in Cairo, Egypt by Beata & Horacio Cifuentes.
This CD has something for everyone. I loved it and use it quite often in
performances. There are 9 songs on the CD, two of which are drum
solos. The first song, Zenobia's Dance is the most Egyptian-orchestrated
style of the CD. It had a wonderful mini-drum solo towards the end.
Song two, Ghanni Mizmar is the most country-styled one. A very heavy
mizmar in the song, although not ear-splitting and annoying as most mizmar songs
can be. The singing on it is lovely also.
Song three is entitled Al Alam Andalous. There is lots of castanets
in the arrangement. It is more Egyptian orchestrated style than Spanish in
tone to my ears, but that could possibly be because I am a flamenco dancer also,
and am used to the Spanish Flamenco sound. I would consider this song more
of the fusion style than Egyptian or Spanish. It is my least favorite on
the CD, although very good also.
Song four is a drum solo clocking in at 2:31. It is a wonderful fun
energetic drum solo and the better of the two on the CD.
Song five and six, El Atlal are my favorite. Beautiful, gorgeous singing
on song 4, and song 5 is the instrumental version. This song is of past
loves written for Um Kalthoum. It clocks in at 4:30. Perfect for
performing to. Lots of tempo changes during the song. BEAUTIFUL...I
enjoy the singing version, because I cannot sing, and I enjoy listening
and dancing to a gorgeous voice.
Song 7 is entitled Takht. This is the longest song on the CD at
9:10. Great oud playing on the song. Very traditional in composition
and energy. This song is non-orchestrated, very different from the other songs
on the CD. Traditional instruments are featured throughout.
Song 8 - Pharaonic Passion at 5:40. Slow tempo. Nice for some
taxim work. The only new-agey sounding track on the CD.
Song 9 is the second drum solo clocking in at 2:28. A nice drum solo also,
though I prefer track 4's drum solo.
Atéa Presents: Music for Bellydance! Slow Moves
& Fast Moves by RAJA
(updated 4/1/01)
This CD has become my absolute favorite for teaching. I use it for beginning class and for intermediate class to work on refinement of movements. You certainly can use it for performing, I personally do not because I favor more complex and layered music for performances. There is lots of beautiful music on this CD. My only complaints about the CD is that the songs are very short in length, ranging from the shortest at 2 minutes to 4:00. Also some songs are too "westernized" for my taste. I tend to hit the "repeat" button on the stereo while teaching so the song can repeat itself a few times for the lesson. Nice simple rhythms for zil learning. There are lots of percussive drum sequences within songs to teach hip articulation and beginning drum solo to. Also there are lots of slow songs to learn figure 8's, ribs, etc. to, floor work, arms, sword, etc. Highly recommended ESPECIALLY for teachers.
Belly Dance with Nourhan Sharif, Rakset Algazala
(updated 2/1/01)
This CD has listed 8 songs on the cover, but on my CD player, it has only 7. I know that song 8 listed as Aziza is in fact song 7. Aziza is a famous, recognizable song. So, who knows which is what. I am thinking they left out song 7. Oh well, at least the listings are in English.
Anyway, most of this CD has a heavy steady beat. Song 1 is a wonderful Saidi, called Saidi Hani Mhanna, over 7 minutes in length with a heavy saidi beat and makes a nice entrance song. It is my favorite along with track 4. Song 2 is in the same vein, but with a baladi beat. Track 3 is their version of Zoorooni, which I am not that crazy about. Song 4 is another nice heavy steady beat, very "country" in style and feel, and would be good for cane, it is called Ya Maahla Nourha. Track 5 is the most Egyptian stylized (orchestrated) piece. Song 6 has lots of Kanoun and of course, track 7 is the famous Aziza.
All in all, it is a nice CD to have, especially if you like a steady, heavy beat to dance to. I think it is also good to teach to.
Ya Salam Ya Fahtiem
(updated 11/11/00
This CD is the one I use time and time again when I do large parties. It is extremely UP tempo and FABULOUS FABULOUS FABULOUS. The audience responds to this music every time. They clap, whoop, holler, it is great! There are two complete routines on the CD. Songs 1 through 7 is Tamerhenna, 5:09, then Balady Accordion, 2:26, Nai Solo, 3:32, Ahlam Beek, 1:44, Drum Solo at 5:04, Balady Nai 2:03 and Finale at 47 seconds. Whenever I am hired for parties that want veil, sword AND snake I use this CD. The routines all fit in perfectly with the tempo and song order. Most people don't want snake, but these particular parties wanted it all. The musicians on this CD are an all-star line-up from the orchestra of Nagwa Fouad. What more can you ask for!!!!!
The second routine is all completely up tempo with no tempos to do veil, snake, etc. But is is great. I use it for really up-tempo stuff and parties that just want lots of participation from the audience. If you are not in tip-top shape aerobically, I do not recommend using routine two. It requires stamina. When you hear it you will see why. Song 8 is The New Ya Mustapha at 19:50, then Drum Solo at 2:07, then Finale at 59 seconds.
The musicians on this CD are perfection, the songs are organized perfectly. This CD is up there on my top ten list. It is a total PARTY CD!
Available at any reputable middle eastern vendor.
Cairo Caravan, Belly Dance with Dina
(updated 10/1/00)
This CD is from 1999, produced and distributed by Hollywood Music Center. You can purchase at any reputable Middle Eastern Supplier. Dina is the famous zaftig Egyptian belly dancer. This CD was written for her. It was engineered and recorded in Cairo Egypt by Ahmad Gibali. It is an excellent CD, an excellent recording. You can use the entire CD from start to finish as a whole routine.
Track 1 is called Early Morning. It is a beautiful song. It is nice for adding veil work into the song. It is 6 minutes and 50 seconds long and has some nice tempo changes.
Track 2 blends nicely from song 1. It is a nice, fun, fast drum solo at 1 minute and 22 seconds.
Track 3 blends nicely immediately after the drum solo on track 2. It has a quicker tempo then song 1. It is a quick, short song at almost a minute and a half, and is a fun finish to the drum solo on the previous track.
Track 4 is called Solo Accordion. It starts out with a 30 second taqsim. It is a medium tempo. It clocks in at almost 6 minutes. If you like accordion, you will like this song. The tempo speed up toward the end. It is my least favorite on the CD, (only because accordion playing gives me a headache), but still a good song.
Song 5 is called Ya Bahiyya, clocking in at 4 minutes. It starts out with big Egyptian instrumentation. Medium to fast tempo. Nice song to show off your dancing to with tempo changes. Ends on a fast tempo.
Song 6 is called Aminti Billah, Starts out with a full 2 minute taqsim. Then it goes into a song which I know as Rakasny al Wahdah We Noss. The tempo is slow. I would probably do sword or some veil work to this song. Or, of course, some slow beautiful dancing.
Track # 7 is called Closing Ceremony. The final song ties in with track 1 and has some nice slow drum solo work to end with.
All in all, it is one of the better CD's I have heard. I give it an enthusiastic " thumbs up". It is hard to find CD's that are blended between songs with not a lot of time between, with great tempo and rhythm changes to use for a full routine. I highly recommend this CD. Also suitable to slice and dice up into your own routine tape.
Picture Yourself Belly Dancing - Topkapi
Instrumental Ensemble
(updated 8/18/00)
I have something here to say about Turkish Bellydancing music available in the U.S. MOST of it is really really BAD!! I do not dance Turkish at the Fez, I do Egyptian style and Arabic music, but I dance Turkish whenever I get the opportunity. Okay, that being said, here is my review of the above-mentioned CD.
This CD is an old one produced by Monitor from the 1970's. I give it 9
stars out of 10. It is easily obtainable from Amazon.com or any reputable
middle eastern supplier, (see my links page). It has 16 tracks of the most
popular Turkish songs recorded in Turkey by the Topkapi Instrumental
Ensemble. The songs average 3 minutes in length. The liner notes
come with the rhythm for each song, and a little explanation of what you can
expect to hear for each. You can also hear zill playing on each track which is
nice. One of my pet peeves is the lack of "zillmanship" these
days, so hopefully this will inspire fellow dancers to zill!!! BELLYDANCERS ARE
SUPPOSED TO ZILL!!!!!! (Excuse me, got carried away). I have various
CD's with all of these songs on them. If you are looking for a CD with a
GOOD to EXCELLENT recording of Turkish songs, please invest in this one, and
be careful of others, because they are incredibly bad!! I had reviewed
in the past the CD Sulukule which is excellent Turkish Gypsy, most tracks on
that have vocals), also Artemis the famous dancer from Maryland has two
wonderful cassettes she sells which are awesome.
Click
here to purchase "Picture Yourself Belly Dancing"
Click here for Artemis'
Turkish cassettes
Click
here to purchase "Sulukule"
Raks Sharki 5: Stars Of Casino Opera
- Jalilah
(updated 7/7/00)
This CD is a must-have if you enjoy performing to traditional Egyptian orchestration. There are three complete routines on the CD. The routines feature lots of rhythm changes to show off your dancing. It is great fun to perform and dance to. The songs were written with the dancing stars of Egyptian cinema in mind. The three tracks are called Tahia's Dance, Samia's Dance and When Did The Story Start. They are long enough for each track to be a full dance routine. My favorite is Tahia's Dance. This is the 5th in Jalilah's series of CD's for the professional dancer. All her CD's are wonderful, and I am looking forward to Raks Sharki 6.