Susana Baca confirms rare London show
Susana Baca returns to London after many years, opening the 2023 La Linea Festival.
Sat, 21 January 23
Musicians of the Nile
Originating from the furthest reaches of Upper Egypt, the Musicians of the Nile have criss-crossed Europe over the last few decades. Like the ancient bards of time past, the difference is that they move through space and cultures as comfortably on an airplane as on the back of a donkey.
Discovered in 1975 by Alain Weber, who has been their artistic director ever since, the Musicians of the Nile is a group whose talent has always included some of the greatest figures of the Upper Egyptian tradition – among them, Metqal Qenawi Metqal, Shamandi Tewfiq Metqal and Muhammed Murad Mejali, all three of them members of the famous Mataqil clan of musicians.
Well before the world music wave, the Musicians of the Nile were the first so-called ‘Arab Music’ group to attain widespread popularity. Frequently imitated and sometimes plagiarised, the Musicians of the Nile have kept up with the parallel currents in music ever since the Chateauvallon Festival in 1975, where they met some of the greatest jazz musicians of the time, including Sun Ra and Keith Jarrett.
They were a part of the first WOMAD festival in 1983, which brought world music to international attention. Their recording for the music of Martin Scorsese’s Last Temptation of Christ and its soundtrack album Passion brought them to the attention of Peter Gabriel and Real World Records.
The film Latcho Drom, directed by Tony Gatlif, which traces the great musical voyage of the Gypsies from India to Spain, has made even more listeners aware that the Musicians of the Nile are a part of the Gypsy tradition.
Releases
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Charcoal Gypsies
From the furthest reaches of Upper-Egypt to new spaces and cultures, The Musicians of the Nile return with powerful songs deep in tradition and spontaneity.
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Luxor to Isna
From the depth of Upper Egypt, the players of the village, the nomads of celebration - The Musician of the Nile - now perform in the spaces and cultures of the West. They are professionals of pleasure possessing a very particular ethnic identity, re-living their traditions with pride and effervescence.
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Passion Sources
Various Artists
Whilst recording for his 1989 album Passion, Peter Gabriel worked with many international musicians. Some recorded at Real World Studios, some on the film’s location in North Africa, and others were sought out from past archives. Passion Sources gives us scope to hear more from these musicians in their own right.
Further reading
Long-awaited release of Kayhan Kalhor and Toumani Diabaté collaboration
The album is a spiritual meditation by two culture bearers of centuries-old musical traditions.
Fri, 24 March 23
Track of the Day: ‘Chavale’ by Kerieva, from Dub No Frontiers
Today sees the release of Kerieva’s ‘Chavale’, the second track to be revealed from the forthc...
Wed, 22 June 22
Track of the day: ‘Steal’ by Bob Holroyd. Remixed by Luca Bacchetti
Originally released as part of the Mangled Pianos single last summer, ‘Steal’ has been reworked...
Fri, 18 March 22