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Return to World Rhythms > Downtempo - Page 1
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Return to various artists > green tea-flavored atmosphere - Product Detail
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rough guide : Product Reviews
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| Amazon.com Editorial Review by Michael Church |
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The connotations of the title might lead you to consider this the ultimate sellout to sexual exploitation, but hang on a minute--The Rough Guide to Bellydance reflects evocation rather than provocation, and covers a vast and ancient musical terrain. The Western words belly dance probably come from an Arabic word meaning country. What French colonials called la danse du ventre and Americans first called abdomen dance is a serious and even medicinal art form that goes way back in time. We all know that dance is a healing art, and this Middle Eastern female form of it is now once more being seen as such in the West. Every small town in Germany, for instance, has a studio devoted to it. What we get on this fascinating CD is a conspectus of styles linking Turkey and Armenia to Chicago and California, where some of the best belly dance musicians now practice. Tabla players Reda Darwish and Armando el Mafufo are two of these. Oud virtuoso Rabih Abou-Khalil, who here contributes a rousing number entitled "The Happy Sheik," with trombones and Miles-style trumpets, operates from Germany. Each track brings its own particular atmosphere, ranging from a Damascene nocturnal orgy to the coolest of dalliances by fountains. The most outstanding tracks are both by Nubian drummer Mahmoud Fadl: the first builds a serene edifice of filigree solos on drums and accordion, while the second gives us a tango transfigured by the spirit of the Orient.
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| View Additional Reviews for rough guide |
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