The playlist is a place to start your music collection   Most of the music listed is available through Dance Venders and Major Music chains.   Remember, that this is my taste and you may not agree with everything on the list.   In fact, a few of these CDs upon first listening to, I put on the bottom of the pile.  Days, weeks and even years later, they suddenly appealed to me in some way.   Good Luck!

Omar Faruk Tekbilek

Ahmet Kusgoz ve Arkadaslari

Solace

Kemanî Cemal Çinarli

Istanbul Oriental Ensemble

Mustafa Kandirali Ensemble

{Belly Dance Superstars Vol 1} - save your money and skip volume 2

Dalia Carella

Souren Baronian

Avram Pengas

Hossam Ramzy

Simon Shaheen

Summer 2001

Nelly - Sayed Balaha & the Kings of Oriental Music - Gema LC10102

    It’s a fun CD filled with good music both for performances as well as movement exploration. The songs are in a lush modern style complete with some electronics but fortunately not hystronic electronic. Sayed Balaha, percussionist, is joined by an ensemble of musicians that include oud, violin, kanoun, mizmar, as well as saxophone and keyboard.

    The favored pieces are the title track, Nelly, a nice show piece filled with interesting changes, Shake Me Balaha a saidi featuring a short drum solo, and Al Mashrabya, a Nubian song filled with polyrhythms and desert overtones. Definitely a lot of fun!

    The CD was recorded in Cairo and distributed from German; I haven’t seen it around in stores but it is available through dance vendors.     back to top

Fall 2001

Simon Shaheen & Qantara - Blue Flame - ARK21

Simon Shaheen is a consummate artist whose violin and oud playing is of the highest caliber. His compositions are based both in the style that changed the face of Arabic music compositions, Mohammed Abdel Wahab, and Western classical music. His latest CD, Blue Flame , is a beautiful example of this marriage with western classical style played on traditional instruments, oud, nay, dumbek as well as Western Flute, guitar, bass, soprano sax, trumpet and piano. The pieces on Blue Flame conjure images of movies that play in your mind’s eye. I am particularly excited by his use of lush musical phrases, exciting time changes and the musicianship of the entire ensemble. My favorite pieces, Blue Flame, Dance Mediterranea, and Al-Qantara have a romantic Spanish feel. The most fun I have listening to this CD is the flute solo by Bassam Saba on Dance Mediterranea . It begins with a gypsy inspired violin and builds into a beautifully moving dialogue between the violin and flute. Another piece of note is Olive Harvest - a piece in 7/8 (Longa) rhythm with it’s Turkish flavor. The music is complicated and it does present beautiful challenges for choreography.     back to top

Winter 2001 Listing

Sultans’ Secret Door - Istanbul Oriental Ensemble - Network25.830

    Heard this music first at Elena’s Weeklong Workshop in 1999. She had choreographed a beautiful veil routine to a haunting piece of music. I wrote down the CD title and loosely looked for it over the year. One day, while walking around the East Village, slipped into Tribal Sounds, a store that sells instruments and music from all over the world, and there was a dancer from Elena’s Workshop. She pointed out the CD, Sultan’s Secret Door.

    The music is beautiful. Released out of Germany in 1997, the musicians Ferdi Nadaz clarinet, zurna, Hüseyin Bitmez, oud, vocals, Fethi Tekyaygil, keman (violin), Ôahin Sert, kanoon, Ekrem Bagi, dumbek are led by Burhan Öçal, dumbek, kös, tanbur, saz, percussions. The music is played with heart and style and is filled with so many haunting pieces and lovely taxims. There are a few traditional Turkish pieces, such as Fasulye and Sultaniyegâh Sirto. There’s a slow 9/8 Roman II, the lovely chiftitelli, Nihavent Oyun Havasi, suitable for an Oriental Dance performance, and my personal favorite, Eve Dönüs, a 7/8 with a haunting melody line played on saz. In class, I have been using this CD again and again to work movements or to find the character of a movement or rhythm. It is a lovely addition to your CD library for listening and dancing.  back to top

Nov  - Dec 2000 Listing

Bassil Moubayed Vol. I - Bassil Moubayed - Pe-Ko Int. Records - 1021-82   

Bassil Moubayed Vol. II - Bassil Moubayed - Pe-Ko Int. Records - 1263-92

    Two of my old time favorite CD’s are the Bassil Moubayed Volume I & II released in the early 1990's. The music is lush and not heavy on electronics as are so many of the newer CD’s released (electrocuted I like to say!). Both CD’s contain music usable for dance shows and learning alike. In fact, I quite often use this music in beginner classes as the songs are fun, clearly played with strong rhythms and they start to learn some classic dance pieces.   For experienced dancers, the music is good to sink your teeth into for creating choreography.    Volume I contains such classics as Ebaad Kountoum (Laila Laila), Ya Ein Moulayyitti and Al Bosta. Volume II has the great classic Sahara and some of the nicest Violin and Nay Taxims. I strongly recommend adding these two CD’s or Audio Tapes to your music collection.  Happy Dancing!     back to top

Aug- Sept 2000 Listing

Full Circle - Café Makam

Joe Zeytoonian - American Recording Production -ARP 016 - ARP 019

    Joe Zeytoonian is a master oud player who has consistently experimented with different sounds his oud could make while never losing sight or love of the roots of his music. Full Circle and Café Makam are two CD’s that show both sides of the experimental artist and the traditional artist.

    In Full Circle we are treated to two ouds and a kanoon playing and feeding off each other. The artist Dick Barsamian on oud and kanoon player Ara Topouzian along with Joe Zeytoonian combine their individual styles to merge with each other in playful adventures in rhythms and musical lines.

    A true marriage of moods and music, the pieces Pelo Rojo and Tango Armenio have a distinctly Spanish feel while keeping the Oriental flavor. Haunting songs such as, Lost Dreams and Scat Vat add to the mix and with the high quality of musicianship, it is a thoroughly beautiful CD.

    Café Makam has the feeling of being in a Middle Eastern club where you get up with friends and dance the night away.  Here, Joe Zeytoonian is joined by Myriam Eli on percussion, Ara Topouzian on kanoon, James Stoyanoff on clarinet and Mark Sawasky on percussion. This collection of traditional songs have a nice variety of rhythms and beautiful played taxims. My favorites on this CD are Laz Dance of the Black Sea and Roman Pançari, a 7/8 and 9/8 respectively. With many of these songs familiar to the club scene, it is a lovely addition to your music collection.     back to top

CD’s are available through ARP Music www.arpmusic.com

May- June 2000 Listing

Sulukule Rom Music of Istanbul  -

Kemanî Cemal Çinarli Traditional Crossroads CD 4289

    When searching for CD’s, the first thing I do is look at the list of musicians. If I see the names Kemani, Clarnetci or Oudi on a Turkish release, I am likely to buy it for these are instruments (violin, clarinet and oud) and that title is given to the finest musicians in respect and honor of their abilities. There are times the music is more for enjoying and learning about the music than for dancing but when you find a danceable one, it becomes a gem in your collection. One such find is a CD I’ve had for two years and still enjoy each time I play: Sulukule Rom Music of Istanbul by Kemanî Cemal Çinarli on Traditional Crossroads CD 4289. The music is fabulous with taxims so beautiful I get lost in them. The artist Kemanî Cemal Çinarli is a master violinist in the Rom tradition and is joined by Bigah Ahmet on clarinet, Necati Dinletir on oud, Ismail Sencal on kanoun and Bigah Irahim on dumbek. Included in the CD package are explanations and translations of the songs as well as a brief history of Rom music and dance in Turkey which is well written by Sonia Seeman. Most of the pieces are sung by a very charming female chorus and on that point, it’s nice to have the translations not only to know what you are dancing to but for the stories themselves. A beautiful 9/8, Yedinci Cocuk, sounds very bright, light and happy but in reality is heart breaking when you read the words. Others pieces among my favorites are the hypnotic Kirkpinar Ciftetellisi, 9/8's named Aksaray’in Taslan and Karsilama, and a familiar tune with a different arrangement Ne Yalan Soyleyeyim. The pieces are mostly five to six minutes long giving you plenty of time to enjoy dancing to these fine musicians.      back to top

March - April 2000 Listing

Near East Far West ~ Dalia’s Shuvani ~ It’s About Time ~ Santorini   

Friends in the Business: Souren Baronian & Haig Manoukian, Avram Pengas

    Having the extreme pleasure of working with Souren Baronian & Haig Manoukian in New York and on tour in Switzerland with Transition, I’m very proud to let you know about CD’s that are available featuring the talents of these two world class musicians. Souren on clarinet, soprano sax and kaval, and Haig on Oud have been playing together since the 70's in clubs around New York and have been touring throughout the States and Europe. In Europe, we work with dumbek player and vocalist Cornelia Kraft with whom in July I’ll be teaching a Weeklong Oriental Dance and Drum Workshop (see Message from Aszmara). Their sound compliments and inspires each other and if you are lucky enough to hear them, you can’t help but be inspired as well.

    You might have heard them on Dalia’s Shuvani CD. As associate producers, Souren and Haig along with musicians Omar Faruk Tekbilek on ney and zurna, Avram Pengas on guitar, bass and vocals, Jarrod Cagwin on dumbek, and Michael Hess on kanoon and viola, provide music that is lovely and exciting. There are many familiar tunes, all of which are quite usable for dance shows. Kashlimar has always been one of my favorite rhythm’s and Sulukele on this CD is a fine version of this classic song.  Available Through Daliac@Cloudnine.net

    These days the word "fusion" is a normal occurrence in a dancer’s vocabulary. We hear many examples of it when dumbeks, digereedoos, nay, and electronic bips and beeps are all blended together with varying degrees of success. Souren Baronian has been successfully fusing Middle Eastern and Jazz for more than 25 years with his group Taxim. Souren and Haig are joined by bass player Steve Knight, trap drummer Mal Stein and Rowen Storm on vocals and dumbek. The CD, It’s About Time, is an interesting mix for fusion dance with interesting time signatures (how about an 11/8!) and fabulous improvisations. Hitchhiker and Pleasant Peasants are two songs that lend themselves well for dancing that incorporates modern movement with Oriental technique.  Available through Carlee Productions 212-254-0802

    The songs on Near East Far West are mostly Armenian with a few Balkan tunes as well. The musicianship is wonderful with many fabulous clarinet and oud taxims. Here, Souren and Haig are joined by friends and fellow Middle East Music and Dance camp teachers Dan Auvil on tupan, Polly Tapia Ferber on dumbek, George Chittenden on clarinet and Lise Liepman on santouri. There is one extremely danceable tune entitled Khyucheck with which I always have fun performing.  Available through Carlee Productions 212-254-0802

    Avram Pengas, whose singing and guitar you hear on Shuvani, also has released a CD called Santorini. The CD is a compilation of music from Greece, Israel, Yemen and Turkey played with gusto. Avram’s The Noga Group performs their blend of music every Friday at The Lafayette Grill ( where I will be the guest dancer May 26^th at midnight! ). The CD features the playing of Dick Barsamian on oud, Lefteris Bournias on clarinet, Nick Mandoukos on guitar, Emmanuel Mann on Bass and Zohar Fresco on dumbek. It’s great fun to get up and dance to their music and the CD brings out that same fun. There is a fabulous piece, Gypsy Mood that you just can’t sit down and listen to - you must DANCE!  Available through Avram Pengas Nogamusic@yahoo.com     back to top

February 2000 Listing

Mystical Gardens    Omar Faruk Tekbilek   

January 2000 Listing

Immortal Egypt   Hossam Ramzy and Phil Thornton    

All articles are written by Aszmara.