Music of Upper Egypt

Recorded in 1977, this field recording of improvisations on popular music is performed by musicians from Upper-Egypt, an area spanning mid-Egypt from Assiut to Aswan. The music features Egyptian instruments such as the rababa, a fiddle-like instrument with horsehair strings; the mizmar, a popular wind instrument related to the oboe; the arghul, a double clarinet; and the darabuka, a pottery bowl drum. The first two tracks feature the improvisations of Saad Mustafa Soliman, and the third track features Abdin Hossein as the reis or lead singer, accompanied by tabla baladi or double-skinned drum. Liner notes include brief information on Egyptian popular music, descriptions of the instruments, short biographies of the performers, and descriptions of the tracks.