Chalf Hassan Bazaar Marrakesh - Trad. Music From Morocco CD

After seeing the great number of belly dance albums the ARC label releases, it is a great pleasure to see a disc of authentic Arabic music. This CD features no synthesizers, no cheesy string arrangements, and no scantily clad woman on the cover. Instead it's the real thing: a lead singer who plays the aud (lute) backed by a chorus of singers and drummers. One might think that a solo aud accompanied only by drummers might provide a thin texture, but Hassan plays quickly and tunefully, supplying a steady sound stream. The drums include a tambourine and a bendeer, which is sort of a giant snare drum played with the hands. Sitting in as guest percussionist is none other than Hossam Ramzy. All the numbers are traditionals. It is difficult to pick out an exceptionally good track, because they are all good. "Alabas Alabas (How Do You Do)" has a lurching, lilting rhythm; it uses an echo effect on the lead vocalist, but this departure from the traditional enhances rather than diminishes the music. The combination of solo vocalist and chorus (with ululations!) was powerful on several tracks. On "Tzawaj Magalhalia" it is made more powerful by the driving percussion. This disc can be heartily recommended to anyone interested in Arab music, whether casually or as a collector. ~ Kurt Keefner