Between the Desert and the Sea
El Tanbura
World Village 450002
An enchanting acoustic mix of Egyptian folk melodies, Sufi verses and sea shanties from antiquity, led by the captivating sound of the Simsimiyya and underpinned by driving Arabian grooves.
El Tanbura mix chanting vocals with the desert flute, the nay, and the ancient lyre, the Simsimiyya, that looks like something you’d find on a painting in a Pharaoh’s tomb
Sounds that have evolved through male camaraderie and the sheer physical joy of collective music-making over many centuries
El Tanbura have been playing the music of their native Port Said since the late 80s and, with the release of Between the Desert and the Sea, it seems that their time has finally come
Their mix of enchanting folk melodies and spiritual Sufi verse is mesmerizing