I love the Serpentine CDs!

[shems]

I have just got my third one and I am so impressed. The music is beautiful. The instrumentation is beautiful. The liner notes are unlike any I've ever seen, researched, informative, content packed with lyrics, history, the works.

I am sooo impressed:

http://www.serpentine.org/yasmin/MusicEgyptian.htm

I have all but the Zar, that have been released so far. It's on my list too, beleive me.

I'm currently of the opinion that these CDs are a must have for every belly dancer.

Just so you know, I have no affilliation with Yasmin and her CDs, I get no profit or anything. I just think they rock!

I'm a total fan.

[CareyDances]

Another fan here!!!

[SamiraShuruk]

Wednesday June 4th there is a special preview of her next project.

Here's her description:
Just a small reminder that a week from today my
advanced class from JOM will perform drum solos for
the end of their semester, along with a special treat
by my professional class:
CAIRO BLUES - Egyptian jazz pieces by
Ariel
Damiana
Miasia
Samira
Think 1940s smokey jazz club with killer sax and
trumpet players and the Henkesh brothers on drums.
Hope to see you there.

At Mem Sahib Rockville - starts at 8:00 pm. Please
call the restaurant for reservations.

[kina]

I love her cd's, but I thought there was only 3? which am I missing?

[kina]

nevermind, I do have the 4 ..l;,

[Monica]

Hooray, this is great timing as I just ordered them all!

FYI, in the course of trying to place the order I discovered she is having some trouble with her site. You can send in a check or call her 800 number to place n order until it is cleared up.

[Candi]

I like the CD notes

[naiyahayal]

I bought "Cry to the Moon" on Ebay a while back -- and I like it very much...,.

[badriya_al_ahmar]

Funny, I thought literally the exact same thing as I was listening to the drum solo album this morning on the train (and desperately trying to stay in my seat)!

[palmier]

I am a fan too, I have all 4 cds.

I cant wait for her to put out more.

[Serpentine]

Wow... thank you all.

I haven't put out more because the booklets take so much time - as you know, because I'm still working on the Sphinx one. I just finished the translation of the drum section of Napoleon's Description of Egypt, along with the part about the ghawazee...

...It is a dance where neither the feet nor the upper body play a part. It expresses with the most audacious indecency of the diverse emotions that can occur in the soul, and the actions, which can carry the progression of passionate love, and the intense titillations of impatient sensual desire. ... At first the movements are too lightly marked to be scandalous, and do not seem to have another object than innocent pleasure. But they become more discernable by degree and soon one recognizes the revolting image of insolent debauchery...

Just a taste...g.: There are many pages.

I have a question for you all then - what would you like to have next? I have recorded 38 CDs worth of stuff from Cairo.
Hoda Simbati - Dina's beladi singer
Sayyid Darwish - songs from the 1920s reworked
Different drummers in the same format - performance solos + drills
Saidi
Nubian
Another Orientale - like Genies?
Leyali + Mawwal - typical stories of the fellaheen, with translations of course.

I am also working on a special kind of fusion, as Samira mentioned above. I don't think I've ever heard such gut wrenching jazz. I will be going to Cairo to line up more musicians for it in 3 weeks. We are working on dance moves to do it justice.

I would LOVE to have your input. I often feel I am working in the dark with this stuff.
Yasmin

[SamiraShuruk]

The tabla solo CD does not have any reviews yet on Amazon...anyone feel up to it? ..g.:
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Pulse-Sphinx-Henkish-Family/dp/B0014XP1X8/ref=tag_tdp_sv_edpp_t]Amazon.com: Pulse of the Sphinx: The Henkish Family: Music[/ame]

The others also only have a couple
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Cry-Moon-Taqasim-lil-Qamar/dp/B000A0ED1W/ref=tag_tdp_sv_edpp_pop_t]Amazon.com: Cry to the Moon - Taqasim lil Qamar: Henkish family: Music[/ame]
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Dancing-Genies-Henkish-family/dp/B000MV8J9Q/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1212210734&sr= 8-1]Amazon.com: Dancing with Genies: The Henkish family: Music[/ame]
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Zar-Trance-music-Women/dp/B000A0ED12/ref=pd_sim_m_img_1]Amazon.com: The Zar - Trance music for Women: Awlad Abou Al-Gheit: Music[/ame]

I often read the reviews when I can't decide on a CD and especially appreciate reviews by dancers. These ARE beautiful CDs.

[shems]

Wow... thank you all.

I have a question for you all then - what would you like to have next? I have recorded 38 CDs worth of stuff from Cairo.
Hoda Simbati - Dina's beladi singer
Sayyid Darwish - songs from the 1920s reworked
Different drummers in the same format - performance solos + drills
Saidi
Nubian
Another Orientale - like Genies?
Leyali + Mawwal - typical stories of the fellaheen, with translations of course.

They all sound great, but I'll pick a top 4:

Sayyid Darwish
Saidi
Hoda Simbati
Another Oriental

[ssipes]

I have a question for you all then - what would you like to have next? I have recorded 38 CDs worth of stuff from Cairo.
Hoda Simbati - Dina's beladi singer
Sayyid Darwish - songs from the 1920s reworked
Different drummers in the same format - performance solos + drills
Saidi
Nubian
Another Orientale - like Genies?
Leyali + Mawwal - typical stories of the fellaheen, with translations of course.

I am also working on a special kind of fusion, as Samira mentioned above. I don't think I've ever heard such gut wrenching jazz. I will be going to Cairo to line up more musicians for it in 3 weeks. We are working on dance moves to do it justice.

Hi Yasmin:

The 1920's songs reworked sounds awesome to me! Also more oriental, and the danceable jazz fusion sounds very interesting. Drums are always good; seriously good drum solos under 3 minutes would be fantastic.

What I love about your CDs, in addition to the booklets and general fabulousness, is they are instrumental without synthesizers. That is getting harder and harder to find these days, and when I find music from decades ago when this was still the norm, the sound quality is often suboptimal.

[kina]

They all sound great, but I'll pick a top 4:

Sayyid Darwish
Saidi
Hoda Simbati
Another Oriental

I'll second this. and add a silly question, I never got any of the booklets, how do I go about getting the ones for my cd's? I'm happy to pay for them, but I didn't find them on the site.

[bintbeled]

Hi, Yasmin! This is what I think of your CDs: They are totally awesome, and the booklets are like master classes. Thanks so much for making not only the music, but also all this information, available to us.

I agree with Sedonia -- it's so nice to find real instruments, and no synthesizers. I have been turning more and more to vintage music to escape things like fake mizmars. So nice to find up-to-date, well-recorded music on your CDs.

Personally, I would love to have a Hoda Simbati CD, and would also love to hear some good Nubian. But all of the possibilities sound great and I will probably end up buying all 38 CDs!

Latifa

[Monica]

The jazz stuff sounds great. I recently bought a re-release of an album by Salah Ragab and the Cairo Jazz Band (I bought it on LP, but I think they released it on CD, too), recorded in the late 1960s. A mix of military, Egyptian, and jazz, along with a Sun Ra influence...pretty wild.

Would love to hear more in that or a somewhat similar vein.

Also a vote for Nubian (swoon!), more Orientale, Hoda Simbati, and the Layali/Mawwal.

Thanks for your amazing work and documentation.

[Serpentine]

I'll second this. and add a silly question, I never got any of the booklets, how do I go about getting the ones for my cd's? I'm happy to pay for them, but I didn't find them on the site.

Please contact me to find out what happened to your booklets! Either the booklet or a card should have come with each CD. If you bought MP3s, then the booklet is not included - part of the marketing strategy But otherwise they are free with the CD.
My contact info (email or toll-free #) is on our site:
www.serpentine.org
I'm so sorry you had trouble.

Thank you all for your input. I was planning on releasing the Sayyid Darwish one next, but now I'm torn between it and Hoda Simbati. The jazz will take a little extra time to collect the right tracks. That is my passion right now. What great info you gave me Monica! I will try to find out more about it, thanks.
Yasmin

[kina]

Please contact me to find out what happened to your booklets! Either the booklet or a card should have come with each CD. If you bought MP3s, then the booklet is not included - part of the marketing strategy But otherwise they are free with the CD.
My contact info (email or toll-free #) is on our site:
www.serpentine.org
I'm so sorry you had trouble.

Thank you all for your input. I was planning on releasing the Sayyid Darwish one next, but now I'm torn between it and Hoda Simbati. The jazz will take a little extra time to collect the right tracks. That is my passion right now. What great info you gave me Monica! I will try to find out more about it, thanks.
Yasmin

Thanks, I emailed you. I do have the Cry to the Moon booklets, it's the others that I don't. And it's not in any way your fault that I'm disorganized, which is why i don't have the others ..l;,

[Sashy]

Any place to sample the tracks of this collection?Already have so many that prefer to try samples,as they usually are available on Maqam to buy only by hearsay.

Tried the original website,no tracks to sample.Amazon and Maqam neither.

[annwyn]

Cry to the moon is in my car I love it and listen to it ALL the time!

[kina]

listening to Cry to the Moon, Ana ti inazarak.... amazing

[WildAnmar96]

I have dancing with Genies and love every song. From you list, I would love to hear from Hoda Simbati - Dina's beladi singer.

[ssipes]

So, what exactly is on the Zar CD? I originally passed that one up because I'm not really interested in doing Zar. Do I need to get this just for its listening potential?

[SamiraShuruk]

Any place to sample the tracks of this collection?Already have so many that prefer to try samples,as they usually are available on Maqam to buy only by hearsay.

Tried the original website,no tracks to sample.Amazon and Maqam neither.

Dancing With Genies (the Oriental CD) has sample tracks on Amazon.
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Dancing-Genies-Henkish-family/dp/B000MV8J9Q/ref=pd_bxgy_m_img_b]Amazon.com: Dancing with Genies: The Henkish family: Music[/ame]

[SandraDances]

I'm dancing to Leyali Rouqash from Dancing with Genies at the Shareen El Safy show in July.....g.:

[kina]

So, what exactly is on the Zar CD? I originally passed that one up because I'm not really interested in doing Zar. Do I need to get this just for its listening potential?

It's definetly not a performance cd (in my opinion) but it gives very good background information on the zar and the most amazing music. It's easy to see how women can go into trance with this. The booklet to this (which I found, yes, I'm a spaz) is very informative, including a synopsis on what type of jinn typically posess people, even down to what they often request in appeasement.

While I don't think that it would be good for performance, I think that it would lend itself as a very useful tool so that the dancer can dredge up the appropriate mood when s/he is presented with the ayoub rhythm in a song.

[SamiraShuruk]

Kina, you are absolutely right. The music is not "performance zar" music, but actual ritual zar music. The booklets are PRICELESS.

[palmier]

I am really looking forward to the cd with Hoda Simbati. so please , please pretty please make it the next one

also
Another Orientale ,like Genies

Sayyid Darwish - songs from the 1920s reworked
then
Another Orientale
and then
Another ..g.:



I have a suggestion, I love the way genies was made with Entrance piece ,taksim, drum solo, saidi ,finale.

I love to have that concept again but instead maybe a Nuban piece or khaleeghy instead of 2 saidi. just for more variety . That would be my ideal cd, but then I will buy any other cd you will make ...

[Serpentine]

... but instead maybe a Nuban piece or khaleeghy instead of 2 saidi. just for more variety ...

You read my mind... (I like this guy)

As for listening first, CDBaby.com has 30 sec samplers of every track on every album. Search for 'Henkesh' or 'Zar Trance music'.

No, the Zar CD wasn't meant to be for performance, but education. It was a labor of love. They all are, but this one was special. It was some of the first music Sayed sent me. (I have 2 more CDs worth of it.) The Henkesh family women have been holding zars for generations. The musicians told me they even played for Om Kalthoum when she was alive. Amina's review says it better than I can.
Amina reviews Yasmin's Zar CD for the Gilded Serpent

Again, thank you for the input. It is helpful to me.