The Musicians of the Nile in London

Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank Centre, Saturday 16 July 2005

by Katrina Robinson

There was real excitement in the foyer of the Queen Elizabeth Hall well before the performance had even started.  We were there to see the Musicians of the Nile – this most famous group from Upper Egypt – who were bringing their splendid Saïdi music and dance traditions back to London after a gap of 22 years. Seats had sold out well in advance, and lucky ticket holders swapped notes about whether a favourite song or dance might feature in the show. Live music in the foyer added to the buzz. Cuban and Brazilian-inspired drum rhythms, chants and vocal harmonies from Cascada - a superb multi-ethnic all-female group – wove through the crowd. Quite by chance, Cascada’s vibrant, joyful female energies acted as a powerful foil for those of the all-male Musicians we would see later.

In the auditorium, as the lights dimmed, the excited buzz from the audience exploded into a joyful welcome as the Musicians, turbanned and dressed in customary white or dark gallabiyeh, came on stage and took their seats on a simple row of chairs on a raised platform.  Of the ten musicians on this European tour, seven played for us in the show’s first half, in a line-up consisting of four rebaba (two-stringed spiked fiddles), a small arghul (double bamboo ‘clarinet’ playing drone and melody), tabla and doff.   Between them they transformed a warm English summer night into a village celebration as they launched into the effortlessly synchronised instrumentals, popular Saïdi tunes and seamless rhythms that have made them justly famous.  As one melody morphed into another to create lively medleys it was fun trying to identify familiar pieces from their CDs ‘Egypte’, ‘From Luxor to Isna’ and ‘Charcoal Gypsies’, and the songs ‘Salamat’ (‘Greetings’), and ‘Walla Zaman’ (‘It’s been so long’) were memorable highlights for many.

‘Having listened to them on CDs and videos for such a long time it was fantastic to see and hear them perform live…they played their earthy music with such skill and energy.’  Diane Petty.

Throughout the Musicians’ repertoire the unique combination of raw energy and sophisticated ‘layering’ that is a hallmark of authentic Saïdi music produced spontaneous outbursts of rhythmic clapping, shouts of appreciation and zagareet (ululation) from the audience. One fine mawwal (narrative vocal lament) followed another, and it was clear that the evening was going to exceed all expectations.

The second part of the two-hour programme featured a traditional mizmar ensemble, seated cross-legged on the platform.  Three zummarin (mizmar players) and a percussionist playing the large double-sided tanbur baladi drum struck up their shrill, sustained invitation to dance in two pieces – and many of audience did just that, filling the dance space in front of the stage.

’I was delighted at the support … from Egyptian music fans.’ Sandy Moxam.

The musicians welcomed and enjoyed this spontaneity and participation, and it heightened the electric empathy between audience and performers.

‘The hall was full and the audience had a good rapport with the players, increasingly so as the show progressed.’ Margaret Marsh.
 
This part of the show was a rich pot-pourri of music and movement that blended into a satisfying whole. One of the musicians followed his song solo with dance. His grounded stamping steps, small shivery back swerves and the famous ‘stallion step’ activated the scarves around his hips, extending the movements into space.  A rebabah (spiked fiddle) soloist with a tenor voice of great beauty and clarity sang a splendid mawwal, followed by the pure, cool tones of the souffara or salamiya soprano flute in a further solo – another example of truly expert musicianship. To the insistent drive of mizmar and drum, Mohammed Murad twirled and circled his rebaba like a shoum (the heavy stave used in male stick dance), before balancing it behind his head and continuing to play it while spinning and dancing on the spot.

As the audience waited for the tahtib (martial dance ‘game’ using heavy staves), the musicians fuelled our anticipation with the measured, drawn-out rhythms of a traditional stick dance piece. The tanbur baladi player coaxed the ‘broken beat’ sequences out of his drum with a series of lazy, skittering slides of his curved drumstick, drawing us towards the heavy ‘dom’ at the end of each sequence.  Then came the finale - the tahtib everyone had hoped for! The entrances, challenges, dance steps and parrying with staves that were familiar to many in the audience seemed as fresh as if we were seeing them for the first time.

‘We were putty in their hands – and didn’t they know it!  For me the highlight was their rousing and beautifully orchestrated stick dance.’  Yvonne Wootton.

This is the thing about the Musicians of the Nile: they are such consummate, highly accomplished professionals.  Having spent decades refining their musicianship, they play together seamlessly as a group in an effortless and relaxed way, but at the same time they are always completely themselves - authentic, individual personalities, at ease with each other and their audience.

‘An authentic Luxor sound, delivered with enthusiasm, humour and a superb level of professionalism plus a relaxed interplay between the musicians – and between them and the audience.’ Brenda Elliott

The whole audience stood during the encore in response to this flawless performance. The Musicians had brought authentic Saïdi music and dance back to London again, so that even the inappropriate lighting (pop-concert-style circling coloured lights and rhythm-linked pulses) hadn’t marred the experience. For me and many others the show had lived up to and even one beyond expectations and the group remained ‘A powerful presence; inspirational’. Anita Epstein.

Back in the foyer after the show, some Musicians had set up mini-bazaars selling musical instruments, scarves, CDs and jewellery - frowned on by the venue managers but doing brisk business nonetheless and giving us another chance to take away some keepsakes to add to our memories of a truly magical evening.

Katrina Robinson is a senior Raqs Sharqi Society teacher and has written several articles on the history of the dance. See Information - ‘History - dance’.

A version of this review first appeared in the September-December 2005 issue of ‘Events’, the Society’s former newsletter.

* See our ‘Shop’ page for CDs by the Musicians of the Nile. We will post details of any forthcoming tours or workshops featuring the group on our ‘Events’ page.