Morocco music reviews

This CD set is one of my two favorites; the other is the Desert Songs compilation by this same label. This very well recorded selection, brings you into the location and mindset of the various Musicians. The really nice presentation, with extensive liner notes, pictures and the sheer wealth and variety of sufi/mystic music from around the world, make this double CD set a thoughtful present for friends interested in esoteric music or Middle Eastern music. It is music to relax and meditate by, music to do your work and dream with. Highly recommended.

Absolutely terrible music to dance to, do not buy this if you are looking for good belly dancing music.

I have to disagree with the people that thought this was a bad CD. It might not be great, but it's good in terms of music variety and danceable songs. The price is excellent!! You won't be wasting your money if you buy this CD. The first track is wonderful for practicing zills. The third track really gets your hips moving, it starts slow (good for a veil intro) after that get ready to shimmy!!

from a non belly dance point of view, this is a great cd. for those of you interested in arabian instrumental music (which i'm sure is sadly very few), this is a great buy. catchy drum beats complete with ouds and other native instruments of the region make it a pleasure to listen to. not to mention you'll feel like you're in egypt (at least here in texas cause it's too damn hot). at a great price this is a great disc. pick it up!

I personally love Hassan's music. However,this is not one of his best albums. The problem is that it is too synthesized.His singing is wonderful,but they changed the music to something overtly western,which takes away from the inherant power that lies in gnawa music. However his last album "The Gift" is a marvel,in which he shows us that he can properly mix traditional gnawa rhythms with western and other musical styles.

Moroccan Gnawa singer Hassan Hakmoun collides with European dance musicians to create a long album's worth of genuine trance music. Hakmoun's spirituality isn't downmixed or diluted by his collaboration; we can hear his raw appeals to God throughout the often-subdued beats. World music at its best.

Great traditional Gnawa rhythms undulating under modern World-dance grooves with some Reggae and Rock top-notes. Seriously dance-able, funky and up-beat. I could listen to it all day...

I personally love Hassan's music. However,this is not one of his best albums. The problem is that it is too synthesized.His singing is wonderful,but they changed the music to something overtly western,which takes away from the inherant power that lies in gnawa music. However his last album "The Gift" is a marvel,in which he shows us that he can properly mix traditional gnawa rhythms with western and other musical styles.

Moroccan Gnawa singer Hassan Hakmoun collides with European dance musicians to create a long album's worth of genuine trance music. Hakmoun's spirituality isn't downmixed or diluted by his collaboration; we can hear his raw appeals to God throughout the often-subdued beats. World music at its best.

Great traditional Gnawa rhythms undulating under modern World-dance grooves with some Reggae and Rock top-notes. Seriously dance-able, funky and up-beat. I could listen to it all day...

This album just regurgitates much of what has been done already. I suspect this fills a void for those who want to hear new Israeli disco pop between Ofra Haza releases. I was thoroughly bored listening to this and I really, really tried to salvage some interest in it.

Others who aren't as acquainted with Israeli music will find this very appealing. Unfortunately, those people are not aware of how much better it gets. Very little is easily available in the US (in particular) outside of Judaica and Jewish music stores.

I'd recommend trying out some Ofra Haza over this selection, if you can't find the better stuff or don't want to wade through the uncertainty of it. Her Yemenite album, Fifty Gates of Wisdom, that she put out in the 80s is a classic. For more of a pop sound, go with Shaday. Her earlier material isn't available here at Amazon.

Better suggestions of female mizrachi vocalists are Zehava Ben, Etti Levi, Yardena Arazi and Gali Atari.

Who knows? Maybe Yosefa will grow on me or maybe another album will seem better.

After the sad news that shocked many people that were hypnotized by the Yemenite singer Ofra Haza, I suddenly find a refuge and relief in Yosefa. I am thankful to god that the hope is still alive.
If you are familiar with Ofra's music, this CD was cooked in the same kitchen. Only those who enjoy meditative, or world music, will definitely enjoy this album. All tracks are basically modernized Arabic/Middle Eastern beats (combined with disco and bop). The music is not ethnicly pure or intensively composed by humans, rather in a studio and by machines. However, you'll still going to be hypnotized and meditated by Yosefa's Yemeni-dialect, exotic and angle-like voice.

Tracks I extremely recommend are: 2, 3, 4 (Yarayah), 6, and 8; especially track 4, Yarayah.

I hope that Yosefa follows our beloved Ofra Haza's path. I can definitely see her as the New Ofra Haza.

I have no idea what she is saying but it doesn't matter, I can feel her words. The sound is somewhere between Celtic and Hindi, beautiful. I recommend it for people who have never listened to this style of music. Its a great beginner album!

This album just regurgitates much of what has been done already. I suspect this fills a void for those who want to hear new Israeli disco pop between Ofra Haza releases. I was thoroughly bored listening to this and I really, really tried to salvage some interest in it.

Others who aren't as acquainted with Israeli music will find this very appealing. Unfortunately, those people are not aware of how much better it gets. Very little is easily available in the US (in particular) outside of Judaica and Jewish music stores.

I'd recommend trying out some Ofra Haza over this selection, if you can't find the better stuff or don't want to wade through the uncertainty of it. Her Yemenite album, Fifty Gates of Wisdom, that she put out in the 80s is a classic. For more of a pop sound, go with Shaday. Her earlier material isn't available here at Amazon.

Better suggestions of female mizrachi vocalists are Zehava Ben, Etti Levi, Yardena Arazi and Gali Atari.

Who knows? Maybe Yosefa will grow on me or maybe another album will seem better.

After the sad news that shocked many people that were hypnotized by the Yemenite singer Ofra Haza, I suddenly find a refuge and relief in Yosefa. I am thankful to god that the hope is still alive.
If you are familiar with Ofra's music, this CD was cooked in the same kitchen. Only those who enjoy meditative, or world music, will definitely enjoy this album. All tracks are basically modernized Arabic/Middle Eastern beats (combined with disco and bop). The music is not ethnicly pure or intensively composed by humans, rather in a studio and by machines. However, you'll still going to be hypnotized and meditated by Yosefa's Yemeni-dialect, exotic and angle-like voice.

Tracks I extremely recommend are: 2, 3, 4 (Yarayah), 6, and 8; especially track 4, Yarayah.

I hope that Yosefa follows our beloved Ofra Haza's path. I can definitely see her as the New Ofra Haza.

I have no idea what she is saying but it doesn't matter, I can feel her words. The sound is somewhere between Celtic and Hindi, beautiful. I recommend it for people who have never listened to this style of music. Its a great beginner album!

This recording is actually quite old and it shows. The production values are low enough to make this of little interest except for ethnomusiologists or very serious students of Islamic mysticism.

The quality may not be superb, according to new age listening standards that require their sufism all scrubbed up and ready for easy listening digestion, but this is a fine recording of a real intoxicated sama. Real sama is rarely recorded and available by CD. Most of what is available are performances. Close your eyes and listen, you'll know what steps you need to take next.

This album is a good Jazz swing album, don't get me wrong -- but it's not Real Basie. Frank Foster does a good job of directing this orchestra, and they really swing in some parts -- but other parts are so lacking that calling it Basie is almost an embarassment. The piano player, for example, seems to not even be able to improvise a single line without screwing up. There were a few piano solos where I actually felt bad for the guy. I was embarassed for him because he sounded so bad. If you are looking for classic Basie, then get another Count Basie album. This is basically a decent jazz swing album with "Basie" tacked onto it.

This is the Count Basie Orchestra lead by Frank Foster, one of the legends that took over when the Count Died. This CD was recorded at a little club in Mass. Includes great hits: Shiny Stockings, Corner Pocket, Right On, Right On! Great toons, great bunch of musicians including: Manny Boyd, Melton Mustafa, Frank Foster, Danny Turner, and others. Great swing, good fun, lots of energy. A definite recommendation.

This is the first ever Rough Guide to "-----" Music CD that disappointed me. Sadly, I feel lukewarm about half the tracks. I had high expectations and hoped for more zikr and qawwali styles. The words 'captivating' and 'trance-inducing' do not describe the music because nearly half the tracks sound so uninspired. Tracks # 4 and #5 start out slowly and leave me impatient. Perhaps in another culture and era, the music needed to evolve gradually into a fast rhythm and pace. It is likely this took several hours. The one main flaw with this CD is it covers too many different cultures and styles or maybe the problem is the sequence of music, i.e. the order in which they are played. Only 6 out of 11 tracks made a positive impression. Luckily, there are moments when the tiresome tracks redeem themselves with nice instrumentation. The arrival of the sweet sound of the ney or sensitive strumming of a lute is very welcome ...

The first track is the Turkish group, Mevlana Kultur Ve Sanat Vakfy Sanatcylary who use the lute and other string instruments to create a a wave-like undulating melody that feels natural ... like rocking gently on a ship at sea. They manage to weave ancient melodies with a modern expression and bring the message of the 13th C. Sufi philospher into modern times, telling us tolerance is sovereign (the liner notes tell us) and everything has a spirit therefore we should strive not to injure or harm anything. The music matches these words. The sound of the words sung is consistent with the melody and percussion by this group. The Sabri Brothers of East Punjab, India now a part of Pakistan, also produce a wonderful calm introduction that builds up to a very enjoyable intensity, chanting the sacred sound of "ah" ... occasionally there is a lead singer and at times a response is given by a chorus. The tabla creates an extremely infectious beat with natural progression of sound and authenticity. The two artists with the most impact on this CD, are Abida Parween, a female modified qawwali vocalist, who is dynamite and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who helped this genre travel around the world, he needs no introduction. In her rendition of "Tere Ishq Nachaaya", Ms Parween reaches a feverish pitch, with a very satisfying climb on a wonderful musical journey. I like the accordion accompaniment. There is no loss of authenticity with this instrument. While almost anything Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan sings is enhanced and magnified into a great listening experience, there are far better songs than the one on this CD. Truly, this could have been had been a powerful and exciting production, unfortunately it disappoints. Erika Borsos (erikab93)

There are many different styles in this compilation, making it an educational, and interesting CD, if not entirely satisfying .
Track # 1 is a lovely, slow instrumental piece by a 19th century Turkish composer. It has a tranquil feel to it, and since I seem to have an affinity for Turkish music, this is one of my choice selections.
Tracks 2, 6, and 11 are from Pakistan, and though music from this area tends to be a little frantic for my taste, these are excellent examples, with the fabulous Sabri Brothers, and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who is perhaps the most world renown musician on this CD.

Tracks 3, 4 and 9 hail from Egypt, and # 9 is recited and sung by Sheikh Ahmed Barrayn, who is described as having a "broken and husky voice", and it carries a power that makes this one of the better pieces for me.
Track # 5 from Morocco, is far and away my favorite piece on this disc, with a dazzling nay (a type of flute) solo that contrasts with the vocal. It is melodic and wonderful.

# 7 from Iran, is an innovative, complex composition on the tanbur (a type of lute). This one is not "lite listening" and may take a few hearings to fully appreciate. # 8 from Senegal is for diverse drums, and # 10 is from Syria, and has some impressive musicianship with "dueling" zither and oud.
The booklet insert has mini bios of the performers, and tells you what CDs these tracks were culled from. The overall sound is good, and total time 72'20.

This is one of those albums that you only like a track or two at first, but once you give it a couple run-throughs, it is very pleasant to the ear. I really have been enjoying most of the tracks. It is very danceable - taxsim, veil, group, solo - most of the songs are very useable.

This is one of those albums that you only like a track or two at first, but once you give it a couple run-throughs, it is very pleasant to the ear. I really have been enjoying most of the tracks. It is very danceable - taxsim, veil, group, solo - most of the songs are very useable.

This is one of those albums that you only like a track or two at first, but once you give it a couple run-throughs, it is very pleasant to the ear. I really have been enjoying most of the tracks. It is very danceable - taxsim, veil, group, solo - most of the songs are very useable.