Cairo Nightclub, The Tapes no. 1. The music of Ahmed Adaweya
This program is the first of a series dedicated to special music that was only available in local cassette tapes market in Egypt: the music of Ahmed Adaweyah, the superstar of the Cairo night life folk song in the 1970s and 1980s. He started as a waiter and an amateur singer of the Cairo urban folk music tradition. A tradition first based around the old Mohamed Ali street in the centre of Cairo where people went to hire musicians, belly dancers and entertainers for parties and weddings. Due to social, cultural and economic changes next to his immense talent; Adaweyah became by the end of 1970s the biggest Cairo folk singer ever.
Adaweyah’s commercial success, flexible character and singing talent assured him of having the best musicians around him. This in combination with his simple but direct streetwise texts, the strong and spontaneous very local “dialect” (as in African American accent of the blues for example) has delivered a separate and rare combination. A combination very appealing not only to the “working class” or those partying in belly dance nightclubs, but also for traditional urban folk music and mawwal (vocal improvisation) enthusiasts. For the bourgeoisie and upper middle classes in Egypt, however Adaweyah continued to be seen as a sign of degeneration of society and taste.
Due to his commercial success , Adaweyah apeared in many commercial films mainly to sing . here is a scene from the film “4-2-4” 1979 click.
The music sometimes reminds of the South East Europe gypsy music. Notable instruments and musicians are the Accordion (played by M Asfour and Hassan Abou El-Seoud), The wonderful trumpet of Samy El-Bably, (who you can see playing middle-eastern solo on his trumpet in the video below), a fiery percussion (Darabouka, Riq, sagat, mazhar..etc) section directed by the great Hassan Anwar, violin by the likes of Mahmoud El-Gersha & Abdou Dagher, Ney (Arabic flute) by Sayed Abu Sheffa and the (guest) appearances by saxophonist Samir Sorour. All among the best players of their era.
The second part is due to broadcast at 22.00 on on the 13th of July .
1- Mawwal Ya helow khalefteni . Ahmed Adaweyah 03:17
Ahmaed Adaweyah- Mawaweel Adaweyah Part 1 Sout El- Hob /Fine Artistic Cairo Tape 229/2000
2. Salamet-ha Um Hassan ( Farouq Salamah) 4:45
Ahmed Adaweyah: Sahra ma’a Adaweyah: Sout Elhob Tape – FA 736/99
3. Essah eddah embou . ( El-Rayes beerah) 3:06
Ahmed Adaweyah: AHMED ADAWEA_VOL 1 SHB CD 512
4. Ya ta’ebni (Ya baladi ya wad) ( Trad.) 12:53
Ahmed Adaweyah: AHMED ADAWEA_VOL 1 SHB CD 512
5. Mawal: Agabi ala far’een ( A.Adaweyah) 5:03
Ahmed Adaweyah: Adaweyah fi el-nada: Nada Tape no.2000/5117/265
6. Mawal: kholkhal/ Dawwara ( Hassan Abou El-Seoud) 7:00
Sout El-hob tape 1980. No. Onbekend
7. Mawaweel Shabeia (Ya albi sabrak): Mohamed Asfour 11:50
Ahmed Adaweyah: Adaweyah fi London 1985: Sout El-hob/fine artistic tape 401/99
8. Mawal Atshan , ( Farouk salamah) 04:14
Ahmed Adaweyah: Sahra ma’a Adaweya: Sout El-Hob tape FA 736/99
9. Mawal Rahu Elhabayeb – Bent El-sultan, 08:43
Ahmed Adaweyah: Bent El-Sultan Good News tape no. GN 45H003
