Through Cairo: Hakim (featuring Cleopatra) and "Walk Like an Egyptian"

Today's random song is by Hakim, and features singer Cleopatra. Hakim is an Egyptian singer that mixes Arab traditional songs with Western beats in an update of Egyptian popular music known as Sha'bi which often begins with improvised vocal stylings at the beginning of the song. He was the first person from an Arab nation to perform at a Nobel Peace Prize event. I could find nothing on Cleopatra anywhere, unless the original Cleopatra came back from the dead to sing this song. I like this cover of Walk Like An Egyptian because an Egyptian musician actually turns this American pop song into something different, something that is actually Egyptian. Adding the Egyptian motifs such as Arabic, slowing the song down with the Egyptian style drumming on goblet drums, and the Middle Eastern orchestration makes it even better than the electric guitar riffs with a faintly Middle Eastern sound like the original version of The Bangles. You can find Walk Like An Egyptian on the CD Desert Roses, Vol. 3 (2004).

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakim_(Egyptian_singer)

We're Almost There: The Twain Shall Meet and "Solstice"

The Twain Shall Meet brings us our song of the day, entitled Solstice. The Twain Shall Meet is comprised of Egyptian cellist Ashraf Hakim and guitarist Scott Wurtz. I couldn't find much substantive information on the musicians. Solstice can be found on their 2008 eponymous album The Twain Shall Meet.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Sources: Not much

Oud Prodigy: Mohamed Abozekry & Heejaz with "Sérague"

Today's tune is by Mohamed Abozekry & Heejaz, a quartet of French and Egyptian musicians formed in 2010 that focuses on instrumental music. Led by oud prodigy Mohamed Abozekry, who at age 15 became the youngest professor of the oud in the Arabic world, the seeds of the band formed when he met French artist Guillaume Hogan at a concert in Cairo, where Abozekry was persuaded to continue his musical studies at the University of Lyon. It was there that Abozekry met the other musicians that would form Heejaz. This song, Sérague, can be found on their 2015 album Ring Road.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohamed_Abozekry_%26_Heejaz; http://mohamedabozekry.com/en/

Gotta Get to Her Somehow: The Musicians of the Nile and "Tangled Up in Blue"

This may be the most oddly fascinating cover of Bob Dylan you have ever heard. The random song today is Tangled Up in Blue by The Musicians of the Nile. From upper Egypt and discovered in 1975 by music director Alain Weber, The Musicians of the Nile have made a name for themselves through extensive tours throughout Europe. They were arguably the first group performing what was considered Arab music to gain worldwide popularity. Those who remember the Martin Scorsese film The Last Temptation of Christ have heard their recordings on the soundtrack, which brought them to Peter Gabriel and his Real World Records label. Made up of some of the finest musicians of upper Egypt, they continue to delight and wonder audiences. Tangled Up in Blue can be found on the various artists compilation From Another World: A Tribute to Bob Dylan (2014).

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://realworldrecords.com/artists/musicians-of-the-nile/

Put a Fire in Your Belly: Gizira Band and "Wings of Isis"

Other than being labeled on Amazon as "well-known" and "one of Cairo's most well-known and established bands," I can't find anything else on the Gizira Band, which performs our random tune for today. The song is called Wings of Isis, and it can be found on the various artists compilation Lights! Camera! Belly Dance! (2008).

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Two Moons: Amr Diab and "Amarain"

Today's random tune is by Amr Diab, who is an Egyptian singer and composer of pop music. A winner of the multiple music awards, he is known as the "Father of the Mediterranean Sound," referring to his blend of Egyptian sounds and textures with Western rhythms and instrumentation. When you listen to his music, you can catch touches of flamenco and raï blending with Western pop and traditional Arabic music. He is also a pioneer in video, being the first Egyptian artist to appear in music videos and helping to popularize them in the Arab world. Diab has also appeared in film. He was criticized during the Arab Spring uprisings in Egypt for maintaining his silence and moving to London during the tumult, but after Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak was deposed he recorded a song called Masr A'let (Egypt Has Spoken) and released it in conjunction with a video showing many of those who had died, and established a charity to help rebuild Egyptian society. He has released 30 official albums. This song, Amarain, can be found on his 1999 album of the same name, and on the Putumayo Presents:Arabic Groove CD (2001). The song's title refers to the singer comparing his lover's eyes to two moons.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Egypt on Strings: Darol Anger, Mike Marshall and Väsen with "Egypt"

We have a downtempo reflective tune for you today in the form of Egypt by Väsen with Mike Marshall and Darrol Anger. Väsen is a Swedish folk band formed in 1989, who created a different sound for Swedish folk by adding some modern guitar work over the traditional Swedish styles. As they have evolved, they have moved away from playing traditional tunes toward their own compositions. They maintain a busy international touring schedule, have released 15 albums, and often collaborate with American musicians Mike Marshall and Darrol Anger. Marshall is a mandolin player and multi-instrumentalist who has recorded in a variety of genres and has collaborated with artists such as Béla Fleck and Mark O'Connor. Darrol Anger is a violinist who also has performed with some of contemporary music's most accomplished musicians, and currently leads a group called Republic of Strings which uses classical, jazz and folk as its springboard. Egypt can be found on the 2007 CD Mike Marshall and Darrol Anger with Väsen.

Praiseworthy: Youssou N'Dour and "Allah"

Today's song is a beautiful song of praise. Youssou N'Dour is already a giant among African musicians. A singer, songwriter, composer, percussionist, actor and politician, he is one of the most visible personas of Senegal. A man born in a griot family, he didn't take the traditional griot path (but he is considered a modern griot anyway) who was the driving force behind the popular Senegalese music called mbalax. He came to world notice thanks to his collaborations with Western musicians like Peter Gabriel, but his music stands on its own. This song, Allah, is from his 2004 CD Egypt. The album combines West and North African music, as well as instrumentation in its use of the West African kora and the Arab oud. It promotes the tolerance of Senegalese Islam, and the album won a Grammy award. The video to this song is beautiful - but the sound is not as good.

Not Never: The Twain Shall Meet and "Solstice"

The Twain Shall Meet brings us our song of the day, entitled Solstice. The Twain Shall Meet is comprised of Egyptian cellist Ashraf Hakim and guitarist Scott Wurtz. I couldn't find much substantive information on the musicians. Solstice can be found on their 2008 eponymous album The Twain Shall Meet.

Road Trip: Eastenders featuring Shady Sheha and "On the Ride"

Our random tune for this morning is by Eastenders featuring Shady Sheha. Eastenders, a collaborative multicultural music project, is led by German DJ Stefan Mueller (aka DJ Eastenders) and Turkish producer and musician Cem Buldak (aka Afrit). They create an exotic blend of European club with oriental flavors inspired by music of the Middle East, Turkey, Eastern European gypsies and India - and using Eastern instrumentation. Shady Sheha is a young Egyptian musician living in Germany who was a contestant on the talent show Germany's Looking for a Superstar. This song, On the Ride, is about forging your own road, staying on it, and making sure you always keep moving. It can be found on the Eastenders 2004 CD Along the Path and on the compilation CD Putumayo Presents: North African Groove (2005).

A Lover Back Home: Jamal Porto and "Gamar Badawi"

Today's song is by an Sudanese artist named Jamal Porto, who lived at an Egyptian inn in the Sinai called RAS. At RAS, musicians have gathered for over twenty years to meet and play, and the family that owns the inn built a recording studio. In 2005, they sent out a call to musicians from all over the world, and forty artists from ten nations responded. They played and recorded music, which resulted in a CD called The RAS Project: A Musical Journey in Sinai. This song, Gamar Badawi, is from that album and is also on the 2008 Putumayo compilation Acoustic Arabia, and is a song of longing for a beloved back in Sudan.

Tolerance: Youssou N'Dour and "Touba - Daru Salaam"

Today's random tune is by a legendary African musician. Youssou N'Dour is a singer, songwriter, composer, percussionist, actor and politician, and one of the most visible personas of Senegal. Born in a griot family, he didn't take the traditional griot path but he is considered a modern griot anyway. He was the driving force behind the popular Senegalese music called mbalax. He came to world notice thanks to his collaborations with Western musicians like Peter Gabriel, but his music stands on its own. This song, Touba - Daru Salaam, is from his 2004 CD Egypt. The album combines West and North African music, as well as instrumentation in its use of the West African kora and the Arab oud. It promotes the tolerance of Senegalese Islam, and garnered a Grammy award for N'Dour.

On De-Nile: Hisham Abbas and "Intil Waheeda"

Hisham Abbas, the singer of our random tune for the day, is an Egyptian pop singer from Cairo with a background in mechanical engineering. His music career took off with several Egyptian hits in the 1990s, especially Habibi Dah (Nari Narain) which featured Indian singer Jayashri. This song, Intil Waheeda, can be found on the 2001 compilation CD Putumayo Presents: Arabic Groove.

The Eyes Have It: Amr Diab and "Nour El-Ain"

I'm a typical guy. I miss a lot of things. For instance, I will often ask my wife where the peanut butter is located. "Right there in front of you!" And it magically appears, because it was there the whole time but for some reason, my guy brain decided to remove it from the picture - as if my mind opened up an organic version of Adobe Photoshop and decided to remove all the pixels that coincided with peanut butter. Which is why I rarely notice eyes. I've noticed that women are often very attentive to eyes. I've had women come up to me and comment on my blue eyes, as if they'd seen them shining from across the room and came like a moth to the flame. And I'm thinking "hey, you have eyes! That's so cool!" So it's funny to me to hear a song, like today's Nour El-Ain, extolling the eyes of another person, because it just isn't what I do. Of course I notice eyes from time to time, particularly if they have some kind of deformity, but also if they are out of the ordinary. I probably would have noticed Liz Taylor's violet eyes to die for, and certainly I would notice the red eyes of an albino, but for the most part, I'm just kind of clueless. Sorry ladies...

Today's random tune is by Amr Diab, who is an Egyptian singer and composer of pop music. A winner of the multiple music awards, he is known as the "Father of the Mediterranean Sound," referring to his blend of Egyptian sounds and textures with Western rhythms and instrumentation. When you listen to his music, you can catch touches of flamenco and raï blending with Western pop and traditional Arabic music. He is also a pioneer in video, being the first Egyptian artist to appear in music videos and helping to popularize them in the Arab world. He has also appeared in film. He was recently criticized during the Arab Spring uprisings in Egypt for maintaining his silence and moving to London during the tumult, but after Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak was deposed he recorded a song called Masr A'let (Egypt Has Spoken) and released it in conjunction with a video showing many of those who had died, and established a charity he established to help rebuild Egyptian society. He has released 28 official albums. This song, Nour El-Ain, extols the eyes of a lover and the glow she puts into his eyes. It can be found on his 1996 album of the same name, and on the Putumayo North African Groove CD (2005).

(Im)Permanence: Mike Marshall and Darrol Anger with Väsen on "Egypt"

In New York City, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, sits the Egyptian Temple of Dendur. A casualty of the construction of the Aswan High Dam, it was given as a gift to the United States by Egypt and brought to New York in 1963.

If you walk around to the side of the Temple, you'll see a bunch of graffiti from multiple time periods on the side wall. That in itself is the subject for an essay - the human impulse to leave its mark on anything and everything it encounters. Look closely at the graffiti and you'll see the name of a man who lists his residence as Brooklyn, New York and the date sometime in the 1800s.

I thought long and hard about this little irony when I first saw that graffiti at the Temple. In the 1800s, when this man came by on an expedition or as a tourist, he wrote his name on the Temple wall like others before him thinking that for thousands more years the temple would stand alone and that the few others who braved the Egyptian desert to reach that lonely outpost would see his name. Little did he know that one day, an endangered temple given as a gift would put his name in an art museum in the very place that he came from. He affixed his name to what he thought would be a permanent marker in Egypt until the end of time. The impermanence of everything in the universe now has guaranteed that his name will be visible, perhaps in s better state of permanence and perhaps not, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

As I am visiting my mother, who is in her early 80s and is in the early signs of dementia, I have been thinking about the permanence and impermanence of things in our lives. Of course there is the issue of my mother's life and eventual death, but also the life she had, full of memories bad and good, which seem to slip away little by little like a slow leak in a bucket. As the poem Ozymandias proclaims, even the mighty end up "colossal wrecks" in "lone and level sands" that stretch far away. But you don't have to be mighty to realize that all that we have been and all that we were are thralls to impermanence. I won't leave a huge shattered visage in the sand to mark my passing, but the result will be the same.

So, with that melancholy thought, a downtempo reflective tune for you today in the form of Egypt by Väsen with Mike Marshall and Darrol Anger. Väsen is a Swedish folk band formed in 1989, who created a different sound for Swedish folk by adding some modern guitar work over the traditional Swedish styles. As they have evolved, they have moved away from playing traditional tunes toward their own compositions. They maintain a busy international touring schedule, have released 15 albums, and often collaborate with American musicians Mike Marshall and Darrol Anger. Marshall is a mandolin player and multi-instrumentalist who has recorded in a variety of genres and has collaborated with artists such as Béla Fleck and Mark O'Connor. Darrol Anger is a violinist who also has performed with some of contemporary music's most accomplished musicians, and currently leads a group called Republic of Strings which uses classical, jazz and folk as its springboard. Egypt can be found on the 2007 CD Mike Marshall and Darrol Anger with Väsen.

Transcendence: Youssou N'Dour and "Allah"

Even though I was raised Catholic and still attend Mass, I consider myself open to pretty much most religious beliefs and practices, and especially if there is a beauty that surrounds it. There are not many religions that don't have some type of beauty, so that means I can usually find something in everything. Occasionally, I can find a transcendent experience. One of those experiences came in Turkey when, as I was walking through a bazaar next to the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, the call to prayer came over the speakers, and I stood there for the length of time the call to prayer lasted, grinning like an idiot because of the beauty of moment. Currently, I've been working my way through the Ramayana, and I'm amazed at the mix of history and mythology in that epic work. Yesterday, Megan and I were in San Francisco and we stopped into a Russian Orthodox church (ironically after coming out of a bar) and the inside was stunning in its iconography and its stained glass. Religion has served as an essential inspiration behind so much art that even the most irreligious or anti-religious among us cannot deny its influence.

I count today's song among those pieces of beauty that come out of religion. Youssou N'Dour is already a giant among African musicians. A singer, songwriter, composer, percussionist, actor and politician, he is one of the most visible personas of Senegal. A man born in a griot family, he didn't take the traditional griot path but he is considered a modern griot anyway, who was the driving force behind the popular Senegalese music called mbalax. He came to world notice thanks to his collaborations with Western musicians like Peter Gabriel, but his music stands on its own. This song, Allah, is from his 2004 CD Egypt. The album combines West and North African music, as well as instrumentation in its use of the West African kora and the Arab oud. It promotes the tolerance of Senegalese Islam, and the album won a Grammy award.