Egyptian duo Tarek Abdallah and Adel Shams el Din celebrate the Golden Age of the Egyptian oud on their debut release, Wasla. Tarek hails from Alexandria, and is well-versed in the traditional repertoire of the Egyptian oud. Adel is an Alexandrine of an earlier generation; a master of the riqq frame drum and co-founder of the well-known sufi music group Al-Kindi. Together they forge a new path that pays tribute to tradition, while invigorating the traditional wasla song form with original instrumental compositions — inviting audiences to partake in the worldly, cosmopolitan delights of their hometown.

http://www.tarekabdallah.com/

Tarek Abdallah

Tarek Abdallah is an Egyptian composer, lutenist and musicologist from Alexandria, born in 1975. He draws inspiration from the Golden Age of the solo Egyptian oud (1910-1930), which is at the center of Tarek's musicological research. He grew up in Alexandria, and is a self-taught oud-ist, beginning at the age of 19. He was active in the local cultural environment, especially in the theater scene. In January 2005 the Arab Oud House of Cairo awarded him the diploma of soloist and teacher with the Award of Excellence. He received parallel teaching from several masters: the lutenist Hazem Shaheen and the great composer and violinist Abdou Dagher. Tarek also performed with the master of the Moroccan oud Said Chraibi and in Persian music with Dariush Talai. In 2001 he moved to Marseilles (Fr) and is currently working on his PhD in Musicology at the University Lumière Lyon 2. Tarek Abdallah combines the experiences related to the transmission and popularization of knowledge related to the Arab Lute through commissions, masterclasses, and conferences. In 2015 he released his first album "Wasla, Egyptian Musical Suite" in duet with the Egyptian master of the riqq, Adel Shams El-Din (Buda Musique).

Adel Shams El-Din

Adel Shams El-Din is a traditional percussionist native to Alexandria in Egypt. He was born in 1950 and has been living in France for many years. Adel is now considered one of the most talented riqq players (classical Arabic tambourine) in the world. He made his professional debut in 1970 replacing the great master Samir Ben Yamine in the Orchestra of the Opera of Alexandria as riqq soloist . Arriving in France in 1979, he quickly became integrated into the various ensembles of oriental music, including Al-Kindi Ensemble (he's one of the founders) with whom he toured the world. He also played with Syrian singers Sabri Moudallal , Adib Al- Dâyikh, Omar Sarmini, Hamza Shakuur and Abed Azrie, with the grand master of Moroccan oud Said Chraibi and with Tunisian singer Lotfi Bouchnak. Adel has also been invited to perform with international artists such as Jean-Michel Jarre, Michel Sanchez and Zakir Hussein. He continued to expand his horizons by playing rhythmic flamenco with Renauld Garcia-Fons and medieval music with Magali Imbert, jazz , folk, classical Western music and avant-garde music with various ensembles and orchestras in France and with Klaus Huber in Salzburg and Switzerland. He has recorded more than 50 CDs and has worked on a dozen film scores. He also recorded a solo album "Forty Rhythms of the Middle East" (Buda Musique).