Charcoal Gypsies

Musicians Of The Nile | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 14, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Real World
• ASIN: B000000HPT
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #207,038 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #55 in Music > World Music > Africa > Egypt

Track Listings

1. Bitnadini Tani Lih [Why Are You Calling Me Again?]

2. Eb'at Djawaben [I Sent You a Letter, Why Haven't You Answered?]

3. Suq Al-Manadil [The Handerchiefs Market]

4. Mawwal-Doha/Rais Al-Bahr [The Captain of the Boat Is Led by the Curre]

5. Al-Ward Al-Foll [The Perfume of the Rose]

6. Ramla [Sand Dollar Mix]

7. Salamat [I Wish You Good Health]

8. Walla Zaman [It's Been So Long!]

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Music from the Charcoal Gypsies, December 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Charcoal Gypsies (Audio CD)

This is the best music from Upper Egypt. It reminds me of my youth. It is great dancing music.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The soul music of Egypt, February 26, 2002

By 

P. Lozar "plozar" (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Charcoal Gypsies (Audio CD)

My title isn't a completely off-the-wall comparison: the gypsies in Egypt are a minority underclass who have managed to support their identity (and maintain their zest for life) through song and dance. This album is captivating: the songs and instrumentals sound spontaneous, but the artists are consummate musicians who give a professional while still impassioned performance. As a student of Middle Eastern dance, I've become very impatient with the techno-pop sound of much contemporary Egyptian popular music; this group goes back to its folk roots without being self-consciously "folksy," and the result is a thoroughly enjoyable CD.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Egyptian, June 7, 2000

By 

Rob Lightner - See all my reviews

This review is from: Charcoal Gypsies (Audio CD)

Anyone who saw and loved Latcho Drom will remember the scene featuring the Musicians of the Nile playing in Egypt, watched from above by a child. Though the music is familiar to devotees of Middle Eastern culture, the Musicians are heavily influenced by their traveling Gypsy ancestry. Traces of European and Asian Gypsy music are audible on the album, though the instrumentation is predominantly native to Egypt. Strings, reeds, and percussion form a synthetic whole that lifts the vocals high above, as suggested by the cover art.