Mohamed Abozekry - Karkade (2016)

Karkadé is the name of the new project of the oud player Mohamed Abozekry. The title comes both from the hibiscus tea that is omnipresent in Abozekry's native Egypt, and from the name of an Egyptian restaurant in Grenoble, France; an establishment where Abozekry, newly arrived France, found a home away from home. There he, over the course of many nights, dwelt in his native culture, from poetry to music, with particular recourse to the wonderful recordings of Ahmed Al-Tony, considered the greatest munshid (Cantor) of Egypt. Whilst Abozekry's previous outing on Jazz Village, Ring Road, allowed him to take the oud far from tradition, Karkadé returns to Egyptian sources. The album aims to pay tribute to the different musical schools of the country. Initiated three years ago, the project brings together four musicians, Lotfy Abaza on the violin, Mohammed Farag on the ney (flute) and Hany Bedair on percussion - the riqq (tambourine), daf (frame drum with metal ringlets), and dehola (two-headed drum).

Tracklist:

01. Retour 05:30
02. Samai Rast 08:41
03. Ala El Felouka 10:33
04. Fi Hadrette Sinai 08:06
05. Isis 06:27
06. El Sakia 07:45
07. Karkad 09:19
08. Le vin mystique 07:08