music
Sharing secrets onstage
Art news
June 13, 2012
Sharing secrets onstage
Kinan Azmeh’s music is hard to classify. It gently captures the audience’s soul, with its smooth mixture of jazz, classical…
Backstage at the premiere of the AfriCairo Music Festival
Art news
May 8, 2012
Backstage at the premiere of the AfriCairo Music Festival
The politics were somber, the mood was buoyant. The audience was small, about half the capacity of the El Sawy…
Blog: Sing for the factories
Art news
May 1, 2012
Blog: Sing for the factories
During late President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s reign, Egypt was generally seen as a site for booming industry, with factories erected…
Album review: Otaak Band’s ‘Bejawiya’
Art news
April 30, 2012
Album review: Otaak Band’s ‘Bejawiya’
There’s something infuriating about Otaak Band. Their CD release party at the Cairo Jazz Club — which saw six musicians…
Album review: The secret to ‘Roaming Your Streets’ is poetry
Art news
March 26, 2012
Album review: The secret to ‘Roaming Your Streets’ is poetry
Last year, Egyptian singer Mohamed Mohsen got into a heated debate with leading musician Hany Shenouda about the future of…
Drumming away, Han Bennink in Cairo
Art news
March 18, 2012
Drumming away, Han Bennink in Cairo
Han Bennink looks amazed to find himself under a bridge in Cairo. The famous Dutch drummer and multi-instrumentalist is making…
Finding vinyl in Cairo: Living the city’s history through sound
Art news
March 12, 2012
Finding vinyl in Cairo: Living the city’s history through sound
Many Cairenes are moving away from listening to vinyl records to CDs and MP3s. Still, for some, the experience of…
‘Sing Egyptian Women’ showcases local talent
Art news
March 5, 2012
‘Sing Egyptian Women’ showcases local talent
Sixteen Egyptian women took to El Sawy Culture Wheel’s River Hall stage in front of a packed audience on Saturday…
Cairo’s Music Freedom Day celebrations break ‘taboos’
Art news
March 4, 2012
Cairo’s Music Freedom Day celebrations break ‘taboos’
Since the 25 January revolution broke out last year, many musicians have been looking to Egypt for inspiration and at…
‘Songs for Tahrir’: Music for and from liberation
Art news
January 26, 2012
‘Songs for Tahrir’: Music for and from liberation
Most times that Palestinian artist and musician Reem Kelani was in Tahrir Square, she took her tape recorder along. She…