Darbouka - Arabic

[bops]

I'd call this "filigree" drumming though--as amazing as it is, it doesn't evoke the same kind of "earth power" response in me that I get from West African drumming.

Agreed.

[e2c]

Hmm... well, for starters, you guys would be surprised at just how much their drums weigh. It takes a lot of muscle and stamina to be able to play that style and make it appear so effortless. (Just holding the drum in playing position like that is very fatiguing after a few minutes!)

I've never had a chance to study Central Asian percussion with anyone (teachers are still a bit thin on the ground), but I can tell you that there's a very gutsy quality to a lot of the music. What Abbos Kosimov and others like him are doing is taking an accompaniment instrument (that mainly is played by singers, IRL and in the past) and turning it into a big solo "display" thing. This isn't a new idea - North Indian tabla and the Iranian tombak have gone through a similar evolution... *but* there's a bigger overall picture than you're seeing in these clips, which are chops, chops, CHOPS - very fast and extremely flashy (esp. the 2nd vid).

Kosimov comes from a a high-art, classical background. But... I'll make a very broad, generalized comparison here: it's like Tony Williams playing set (mid-late career) vs. someone like, say, Papa Jo Jones or Charli Persip - or even Philly Joe Jones. I think you jazz set players (you know who you are!) will understand...

* And: seeing/hearing the drumming alone is a very different thing than hearing it in context (with a vocalist, one or two people playing plucked-string instruments, maybe clarinet or another melody instrument, plus percussion). The gutsy part is much more evident that way. (Partly - I think - because the percussion has such a close relationship to the words being sung, and to what the singer is doing with those words + the melody.) That way of playing is both more graceful and ... well, not the most diplomatic thing to say, but - more tasteful.

(I have a big problem with how PASIC and manufacturer-sponsored events tend to turn into chops-fests, but that's a whole other topic! )

[e2c]

very true. people can just as easily invent new rhythms in odd meters. hossam ramzy invented 'abu el khamsa' (meaning father of 5) which is on his 'introduction to egyptian dance rhythms' instructional cd. masters invent new rhythms all the time and some of them are bound to become classics...

yes, he's very accomplished, but I think there are other Arabic drummers (in the US and Europe) who are just as good or better. He certainly has helped to raise the profile of the darbouka and ME percussion in general in the English-speaking world.

And - although this is just a guess - I'd imagine most good drummers who play in this style are experimenting with new/hybrid rhythms, whether they set out to deliberately create them or not. (Because of the emphasis on ornamentation and improvisation, once you've got the hang of the basic rhythmic structures.)

[e2c]

Doira again

Well, I just spent some time looking through videos on YouTube and... *everyone* seems to be playing in the same style as Kosimov now + juggling, spinning, playing multiple drums at the same time. Yeesh.

I guess what I was able to hear back in the 90s was either the last gasp of an older style, or else this "fast fast FAST" thing is a fad - or ... I'm not sure.

It reminds me a bit of the way some Brazilian pandeiro players do spectacular juggling and spinning stunts. yet at the same time, there are so many other people playing (in a variety of styles) that the showy stuff isn't in the spotlight all the time.

I hope Kosimov slows down a bit, along with the other guys who are playing in this style. It's impressive at 1st, but (I think) kind of beside the point.

[bubudi]

yes, he's very accomplished, but I think there are other Arabic drummers (in the US and Europe) who are just as good.

or better. i was just using him as an example because his material is very well distributed in the western world. i also saw your (now removed) comments earlier about ramzy he has produced some quite diverse stuff. he doesn't have an endless repertoire of chops, nor does he do much of the more flashy stuff that we hear a lot more of these days. but imo he adapts very well to each context in which he plays. he's definitely into the modern egyptian street/belly dance music, 'classic pop' like oum koulthum and farid el atrache, plus dabbling in fusions with rai, jazz, gypsy, etc. definitely not everyone's cup of tea. i remember a long time ago when houssein el masry was considered by many to be one of egypt's best tabla players and i was not particularly impressed with his work. yousrey is a lot more to my taste.

my point was that many masters (of any instrument/style) create new work all the time... so some 'odd' timings will become classics one day. kind of like brubeck's take 5 became a classic. you're probably cringing again

[e2c]

Oh, I love "Take five," but it was written by Brubeck's alto sax player, Paul Desmond. Brubeck's big piece with an ME rhythm was "Blue Rondo a la Turk."

As for Ramzy vs. a number of other players, well... yes. I think there are some real greats in the French-speaking world, also some in Germany. And definitely a few here in the US, some of them recent immigrants, others have been here for many years. The influx of new Iraqi immigrants is, I think, going to bring some really exciting players to the fore.

Re. Ramzy's recordings, i think he's making them for dancers. But I find them to be (for the most part) more of the same. (I also think the man knows how to promote himself!)

I'm so glad that some younger players like Karim Nagi (Egyptian, but living in the US), Yousif Sheronick and others are making instructional material. And Souhail Kaspar (from Lebanon, living in Southern California) is a wonderful percussionist; also Setrak Sarkissian, who - AFAIK - is in the NYC area. Michel Mirhej Baklouk, who is a true master - played with Lebanese singer Fairuz for many years - lives in the NYC area.

Part of the problem is that a lot of the best don't really care all that much about promotion... and there is a language barrier (French v. English) to some degree. Check those audio clips I posted earlier featuring Johnny Farraj, though - he's one of Michel Mirhej's students. And you can hear the lineage and mastery of the instrument very clearly.

One of the best American players I've heard is Susu Pampanin. She's recorded a bit, but she seems to prefer playing in the ME dance scene to the more show biz-type things that she might be doing. (wise move!) Both of her CDs are available on emusic now - worth a listen.

However, I'm kind of removed from centers of live music... NYC and Boston, Detroit, LA and the SF Bay area are all great for ME music (Arabic and - in some cases - iranian). so I'm not in the loop in the way that I'd like to be... and frankly, there are a lot of drum teachers out there, but not many who *really* know their stuff. I would have to go to NYC for lessons, and maybe some day I'll spring for a few. (I'd love to do a workshop with Michel...)

[e2c]

Uzbek classical music (with doira)

This is more like it... The singer's name is Monâjât Yulchieva. (The sidebar description on this vid's Youtube page is very helpful.)



* And yes, she's using a small plate to create vibrato and direct the sound of her voice a bit... I've seen it done live; IIRC, it has something to do with the nature of the song text, which is Sufi devotional poetry. (will have to double check that...)

Uzbek folk and light classical (with doira)

This troupe - Shashmaqam - is terrific. if you ever are in NYC, hop the subway out to Queens and spend an evening in some of the Bukharan Jewish restaurants. You'll get to see many of these folks in a down-home setting.



Here they are again, in one of the little basement clubs in Queens -



Many of these people's ancestors were employed in the royal court - and by lesser nobles - prior to the Soviet era.

A lot of the younger immigrants use electric guitar and quarter-tone keyboards instead of traditional instruments, but they still play doira and other Uzbek percussion...

[silviuj]

here's a nice combination http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3CnPXL0mms

[e2c]

silviuj - that's a great video video. Many thanks for it! I'm going to post it directly -



Guem is something else... Beautiful use of traditional technique; the mix of rhythms is very nicely done, too. (He knows how to put some space in between the notes!)

Wonder where he got that drum: it looks and sounds a *lot* better than most of the aluminum/plastic head pieces out there. (I like natural skins and clay-bodied drums, but I'm kind of behind the times... however, I'd spring for a drum like his. )

[e2c]

here's another Algerian guy, Mohamed Bouhanna, playing some nice solos. Wish I knew the name of the fellow who's accompanying him on bendir (snared frame drum) and tambourine.... In some ways, this is a bad video, but the camera angle on Bouhanna is really nice - gives you a far better idea of how the strokes are produced than most vids out there. (Note the left-hand presses and semi-muted strokes.) This is pretty decent "utility" playing, I think - beautiful hand position and technique, too. (Also shows how there's a need for people playing the backbeat in order for the soloist to ornament and stretch just a bit.)

[e2c]

Just for Carl: I just tried out some darbouka-style techniques on my bass djembe, which is smaller and a few pounds lighter than my other djembes.

Worked like a charm, and was pretty loud, too! Here's the trick - you get lots of projection if you hold the drum as if it were a darbouka. (Hard to do with a 20-lb. lenke drum, not so hard with a 14-lb.one.)

You can use all the conventional djembe slaps and tones + other techniques as well when playing the drum in that position. my only concern is that it can be a little *too* loud - but it certainly does project. (imo, calfskin seems to work better for this kind of playing on a djembe... at least, the calf sounds the best out of all 3 of my drums.)

[Carl]

I wonder if the lighter shell actually helps with the darabouka techniques? I've messed around with a darabouka that I picked up years ago, and the thin plastic skin and metal shell seem to be pretty critical to the playing technique (I've never played any of the ceramic/goatskin?? drums).

Djembe slaps are LOUD on the darabouka!

I'd be interested in hearing your bass djembe used this way, I'm trying to imagine what the sound would be like. My djembe's are 14"+ and a bit awkward in the darabouka playing position. Now that I have thicker goatskins on them, I'll have to try some of these techniques again...

-C

[e2c]

Re. placement, I hear you. I've got the drum sideways across my lap, with the head to the right and angled just a bit away from my body. (I'm right-handed.) It *is* awkward with my other djembes, but my bass is a bit smaller and lighter, so the position is a bit easier to sustain. (Though definitely not something I could do for long periods of time.) There are some alternate techniques used in Turkey (and maybe some other places?), where the drum is held between the knees, much like a djembe or conga. I've mainly seen this done with larger drums that were holding down the low end, but there's no reason not to solo with the drum in that position. The technique is - as best I can describe it - closer to what's used for bongo, though that's a very rough impression. (Having had very limited exposure to the style.)

I don't own any aluminum drums, and I really dislike the sound of those plastic heads. (But I might just cave in and buy one eventually, if I can find one that i like... they're good for humid weather, when fishskin tends to go dead.)

My preference is for ceramic drums with fishskin heads. (Though I do have 2 junky ones with synth heads - *not* those clear plastic heads, though; also 2 metal ones.)

If you want a truly good drum, Abdulhamid Alwan is just about the best go-to person I can think of... His contact info. is at the end of this piece: http://arts.state.wi.us/static/Folkdir/alwan1.htm

He designs and makes his own darboukas (also frame drums and Arabic-style bass drums), from building the molds to mixing the clay to...



As for djembe slaps, yeah - gotta learn how to modify the sound for playing on a smaller drum. (Thing is, those aluminum drums are just loud, period - natural skins have far more sensitivity, color and dynamic range - so long as they're mounted on a good drum! I've heard - and played - some really awful drums that are all "natural," which is one reason I'm recommending Hamid's work.)

[e2c]

The guy in this video is just unbelievable. His name is Najib Bahri - originally from Tunisia, he now lives in the Chicago area. His playing is very dynamic, and his style is unique. Check out the various slaps he uses!

He prefers to play clay drums with natural skin heads, and I think this vid clearly shows how much nicer-sounding they are than the aluminum drums that have taken the market by storm.



His website is here: http://www.n-bahri-rhythms.com/ (Not the best design, but he has some really good things to offer, including recordings of many different Tunisian rhythms.)