Abu Obaida Hassan & His Tambou - The Shaigiya Sound of Sudan [2018] [sudan]

Abu Obaida Hassan and the wonders of his five-string tambour remained largely a mystery. In the early 2000s, a prominent Sudanese newspaper declared him dead. Internet forums confirmed his passing. Many in Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, said he had indeed died. But rumors that he was still alive persisted.

What was always certain is Abu Obaida Hassan’s mercurial talent. His command of a modified tambour, backed by a chorus and two drummers, unleashed swirling melodies alongside complex Nubian rhythms and hypnotic Sudanese call and response. His bands roster constantly changed, but he remained at the helm, playing for sold out shows in cities across the country and capturing the dancefloors and youth of 1970s and ‘80s Sudan.

Abu Obaida Hassan - Qamar Al Massa (Moon of the Night)

This is a rich, raw example of the human experience with sound from northern Sudan, an ancient part of the world, and the birthplace of civilization. Music like this isn’t mastered overnight.

The Ostinato team first came across Abu Obaida’s recordings in 2011, finding scratchy bits and pieces along the years. We traveled to Sudan in 2016 to find the clues to piece together the Abu Obaida Hassan puzzle. Through some extensive detective work with our man in Khartoum, Ahmed Asyouti, and a generous dose of good fortune, we tracked Abu Obaida to the rural outskirts of Omdurman, the old capital just across the White Nile from Khartoum. Age has taken its toll, but he remains full of life and music, ready to jointly curate a selection of his eight best cuts. He has written over 100 songs, only 30 were recorded.

Abu Obaida comes from the Shaigiya people, whose culture is spread around the ancient city of Merowe, home of traditional Nubian culture, where pyramids older than those in Egypt still stand. They trace their entire lineage to one man, Shaig, who migrated from the Arabian peninsula in the 15th century. An endlessly rhythmic syncretism between Arab and Nubian styles, Abu Obaida’s Shaigiya music was an in demand party affair in an era when a vibrant nightlife and roving sound systems were staples of life in Sudan.

It was music for a modern era, and Abu Obaida, at just 19, rebelliously abandoned traditional Shaigiya music traditions, pioneering a new sound by adding an extra string to his tambour and electrifying an instrument adored across East Africa. The result was complexity in simplicity and a hyper-talented artist who mirrors the story of Sudan’s highs and lows, from the leading tambour maestro of the hour to such obscurity on the fringes that he was believed dead. “They killed me!”, he likes to joke.

Abu Obaida Hassan, his music and the musical traditions of the Shaigiya remain alive and kicking. A culmination of a 7-year journey — from first hearing Abu Obaida’s distinct sound, found only in Sudan, to finding the man — has produced the first global release of Shaigiya music and is the first chapter of Ostinato’s immersion into Sudan, with a full compilation of the lavish musical history of one the most diverse countries in Africa due later this year. All brought to you by the Grammy-nominated team behind last year’s “Sweet As Broken Dates”.

Abu Obaida Hassan - 01 - Daweena (6:33)

Abu Obaida Hassan - 02 - Qamar Al Massa (Moon of the Night) (8:15)

Abu Obaida Hassan - 03 - Nas Fi Nas (People on People) (5:20)

Abu Obaida Hassan - 04 - Fargooni (They Left Us) (3:25)

Abu Obaida Hassan - 05 - Shofo Alla (Find Me A Solution) (6:37)

Abu Obaida Hassan - 06 - Amshy Shoof (Go Find Your Own Love) (5:02)

Abu Obaida Hassan - 07 - La...La (Don’t Say I Am Betraying You) (7:15)

Abu Obaida Hassan - 08 - Dayer Anwer Lek (Light Your Path) (5:03)

From Khartoum to Addis - Instrumental [1996] [ethiopia]

   R   E   U   P   L   O   A   D   

1. From Khartoum To Addis - Eyuat Sitnafekegne (6:44)
2. From Khartoum To Addis - Tegegntoal Liju (7:39)
3. From Khartoum To Addis - Yene Hasab (6:52)
4. From Khartoum To Addis - Enetarek (6:53)
5. From Khartoum To Addis - Endih New Gabicha (7:36)
6. From Khartoum To Addis - Fikir Ayarejim (5:04)
7. From Khartoum To Addis - Nanu Nanu Naye (6:13)
8. From Khartoum To Addis - Ende Amora (4:43)

v.a. - Munsphone Mixtape - 60s and 70s Sudanese Records (Cassette. Munsphone Records)

This one is a collection of records from the 60s and 70s on the Munsphone label out of Sudan "mixed by an Ethiopian octogenarian." 




SIDE A

1. Hamed Al Rayah - Shalo Alkalam
2. Sayed Khalifa - Jani O Ma Ligani
3. Suna'i Alasima (Mohammed Awad & Ahmed Omer) - Min Hobby Feek Ya Jar
4. Suna'i Alasima (Mohammed Awad & Ahmed Omer) - Jaboo Al Shabka Yom Al Eid
5. Ibrahim Awad - Att'haddak
6. Sharhabil Ahmed - Lissa Ma Arfeen
7. Sharhabil Ahmed - Ya Gammer Dowwa
8. Mohammed Werdi - Ghattr Al Nedda




SIDE B

1. Sayed Khalifa - Al Wahid Khallaney Wahid
2. Al Belabil - Khatim Al Moon (3 sisters: Hadya, Hayat, & Amal Thulsem)
3. Sharhabil Ahmed - Ferfish
4. Sharhabil Ahmed - Al Laabis al Bumbi
5. Mohammed Werdi - Ma Takh'jely
6. Al Belabil - Lon al Manga
7. Sayed Khalifa - Nana ya Nana
8. Ibrahim Awad - Zahra Nadya
9. Mohammed Werdi - Uzabney Za Zeed Azabuk !   song not complete!

Mohammed Wardi - [1994] - Live in Addis Ababa (1994) [sudan]

   R   E   U   P   L   O   A   D   

       Mohammed Wardi, a singing (and tambour playing) legend from Nubian Sudan, had been singing and playing for some 40 years at the time of this album, but one can hardly tell of such an age by his sound. He recites poetry to song, along with a line of instruments from both the east and west. 

          His arrangements involve the use of multiple rhythms on the various drums, along with the occasional electric blues playing by his guitarists. 

        The highlight of the album, apart from the tightly packed instrumental lines, is Wardi's own quavering vocals, which fill each and every song with a quality and power rarely heard in the West. The love songs can evoke a response despite the language barrier, and that's really quite something to look for in a recording.

       Mohammed Wardi, who recorded more than 300 songs in the 60s and 70s--to the best of my knowledge, none of them are available. excellent album. It makes sense that the album Live in Addis Ababa, 1994, was recorded in Ethiopia, as there are plenty of similarities the music shares with the sounds of  this nearby country, but Wardi's gorgeous, high-pitched voice sounds more Arabic. He fronts a great, string-laden 18-piece band. 

     In 1991 he left his war-torn country and took exile in Cairo. I believe these days he lives in Los Angeles, where he has performed a couple of times--but for the most part he's inactive. He did some sessions in LA in 1999, rerecording many of his old songs, but they've never been released. I assume that the mess in Sudan these days precludes any imminent effort to reissue his classic recordings, but hopefully one day we'll get to hear the stuff. 

      This album is a great introduction into the world os Sudanese rhythms that will surely make your spirit smile. The strength of the indigenous music holds this album together, and while the synthesized background textures and drum machine are sure to please the afropop fan in you, I am also eagerly awaiting a raw, ethnic release from Blue Nile.

Sudanese-American producer Mohamed Elomrabi calls this "Sudanese pop music" but I am struck by the album's jazz feel. Either way, Rhythms of Sudan's contagious sounds will point our musical curiosity toward this fascinating culture

Enjoy !!!

Debo Band - Live on WFMU's Transpacific Sound Paradise with Bob Weisberg [2009]

   R   E   U   P   L   O   A   D   

       Since 2006, Debo Band has thrilled Boston-area audiences with their unique interpretations of classic Ethiopian popular music. Their performances bring together the best of the last forty years of Ethiopian music, with a reverence for the vintage sounds of the 1970s and a commitment to discovering contemporary gems, as well as developing new compositions – they scored the Ethiopian-produced short film, “Lezare,” in 2009. The band paid their dues playing neighborhood bars, church basements, and loft parties, and has emerged as an internationally recognized touring band, with performances at two international festivals in the last year alone.

       Up until now, Debo Band has primarily existed as a live band, playing at venues across the Boston/New England region. Last year, however, Debo began taking steps towards actively documenting and releasing recordings and is also working with a documentary filmmaker on a project about the band’s mission to bring Ethiopian music and musicians to the forefront of world music. Additionally, Debo Band is currently producing a CD/DVD set and LP version of live performances recorded in Boston, New York, and East Africa.

       In May 2009, Debo traveled to Addis Ababa to perform at the 8th Ethiopian Music Festival and several other locations throughout the Horn and East Africa. These performances affected Debo Band’s creative and professional development in significant ways, particularly in the collaboration they began with several traditional musicians – vocalist Selamnesh Zemene, drummer Asrat Ayalew, and dancers Zinash Tsegaye and Melaku Belay. All accomplished musicians in their own right, these musicians work together at Fendika, a leading azmari bet, or traditional music house, operated by Melaku in Addis Ababa. When working with these four musicians 

       Debo Band grows into a forceful, energetic, and authoritative fourteen-piece ensemble capable of delightful, one-of-a-kind performances. The full ensemble (Debo Band plus Fendika, or “FenDeboKa”) recently performed several concerts in Addis Ababa and at the 7th Sauti za Busara Festival in Zanzibar (February 2010).

1. Debo Band - Akale Wube [trad.] (4:53)
2. Debo Band - Yene Neger [Gossaye Tesfaye] (5:39)
3. Debo Band - Adderech Arada [Menelik Wossenachew] (5:18)
4. Debo Band - Ambassel [trad.] (7:19)
5. Debo Band - Addis Ababa Bete [Alemayehu Eshete] (6:22)
6. Debo Band - Lantchi Biye [Tilahoun Gessesse] (4:03)
7. Debo Band - Musicawi Silt [Walias Band] (5:09)
8. Debo Band - Embwa Belew [Muluken Melesse] (4:43)

Wedel Bikri - [1996] - Oumri Al-Baghi (What's Left of My Years) [sudan]

Original post at Awesome Tapes from Africa

     Wad El-Bakri (Wedel Bikri) -  Oumri Al-Baghi (What's Left of My Years). 

        ود البكري, full name: Abdel-Baqi Ahmad Al-Bakri, is a Sudanese singer from the White-Nile delta region. He used to work as a pharmacist, and started singing at local haflas (communal parties and gatherings) paid too little for his singing and rabab-playing in the early 80's. 

        Then with time, he learned to master the oud and got his full backing orchestra. Lately, he began singing only madayeh (adulatory) religious songs on a satellite channel in Sudan. 

Mohammed Wardi - Greatest Hits [sudan]

                          P  O  O  R     R  I  P   

          Mohammed Wardi received several nicknames throughout his career. “Africa’s Pharaoh” was at the same time the “Leftist Artist.” The man who throughout his entire life regarded himself as a crowned king of Sudanese song often focused on those less fortunate than himself in his work. 

               “The Voice of Joy” passed away Saturday in Khartoum at the age of 79.

            The exceptionally talented Wardi turned singing into a medium for seeking justice and beauty. He did not view the “leftist artist” nickname as a demagogic slogan but thought of it as a responsibility. The choices he made in his life and career seemed to revolve around living up to that title. One of these choices was his decision to become a Communist Party member alongside Sudanese Communist heavyweight Muhammad Ibrahim Naqd.

          Wardi began his life as a music teacher at Sudanese schools in the 50s. He was then involved in a union struggle to defend teachers’ rights before joining the radio as a first class singer and composer.

       Wardi began his life as a music teacher at Sudanese schools in the 50s. He was then involved in a union struggle to defend teachers’ rights before joining the radio as a first class singer and composer.

       It is hard to separate between his political beliefs and artistic choices. He built the latter on fine lyrics that succeeded in offering an “alternative song” to counter Sudanese pop songs of the era.

       Wardi’s rise to success was in a big part owed to the work he did with two distinguished poets and songwriters, Ismail Hassan and Mahjoub Sharif. It was then that he went beyond the pentatonic musical scale that was prevalent in Sudan’s music to open up new horizons for Sudanese music.

      There was also Wardi’s love for Egyptian music, which he used to add an oriental flavor to his works. Soon thereafter, he introduced Nubian tunes and instruments, such as mandolins, into Sudanese music.

      Wardi’s political and artistic commitment was tested in a country that suffered several political coups. He supported General Ibrahim Abboud’s coup in 1958. However, he then celebrated its downfall in the 1964 “October revolution.”

      Following Jaafar al-Numairi’s coup in 1969, Wardi sang odes in support of the new regime, when it still had socialist orientations, only to perform other songs calling for the fall of al-Numairi’s regime in April 1985 revolution.

      Wardi left Sudan in 1989 following the rise of Sudanese President Omar Bashir to power. He spent 13 years in voluntary exile mostly in Cairo, where he was famous before his arrival.

     Wardi left behind a reservoir of songs that have become part of the Sudanese daily life. Wardi died, but his fans all along the Nile will continue to sing his songs for years to come.

1. Mohammed Wardi - Armusal (11:33)

2. Mohammed Wardi - Alnas Algyafa (8:54)

3. Mohammed Wardi - Amir Alhusen (6:14)

4. Mohammed Wardi - Ana Arfek Ya Fouady (3:15)

5. Mohammed Wardi - Ashof Fi Shakhsak Ahlami (10:10)

6. Mohammed Wardi - Been Wa Bainak Wa Alayam (6:47)

7. Mohammed Wardi - Ghalta (6:09)

8. Mohammed Wardi - Ma Takhgali (9:14)

9. Mohammed Wardi - Sodfa (8:51)

Mohammed Wardi - [6 awesome tapes] [sudan]

Mohammed Osman Hassan Salih Wardi (Arabic: محمد عثمان حسن وردي‎) (born 19 July 1932 – 18 February 2012) was a Nubian Sudanese singer and songwriter.

           Wardi was born on 19 July 1932, in a small village called Swarda close to Wadi Halfa Northern Sudan.His mother, Batool Badri, died when he was an infant.His father, Osman Hassan Wardi, died when he was nine years old.He was brought up in a diverse and culturally rich background and developed an interest in poetry, literature, music and singing.Wardi traveled to Shendi to complete his education, and returned to Wadi Halfa as a secondary school teacher.

        In 1953, Wardi went to Khartoum for the first time to attend a convention as a teaching representative for his area. He moved to Khartoum and started his career as a musical performer. 

       In 1957, Omdurman Radio chose him to record and sing on national broadcast in an arena with legendary singers such as Abdelaziz Mohamed Dauod, Hassan Atia, Ahmed Almustafa, Osman Hussaein and Ibrahim Awad. Wardi recorded 17 songs in his first year. A committee formed by Omdurman Radio's president that included top singers and songwriters such as AlKashif, Osman Hussaein and Ahmed Almustafa promoted Wardi to highest level as a professional singer. He had a bilateral with a famous poet, Ismail Hassan, resulting in more than 23 song. Wardi performs using a variety of instruments including the Nubian Tanbur and sings in both Arabic and Nubian languages. He has been described as "Africa's top singer", with fans mainly in the Horn of Africa. His songs address topics such as romance, passion, Nubian folklore and heritage, revolution and patriotism with some of his political songs resulting in him being jailed. After the introduction of Sharia in 1989, he left Sudan to voluntary exile in Cairo. He returned in 2003.

And the granting of artist Mohamed Osman Wardi honorary doctorate from the University of Khartoum in 2005 in recognition of his career for more than 60 years and his performance more than 300 song and legend as a Sudanese art immortal and encyclopedia of music.