Yemen / Hadramawt

Yemen - Songs from Hadramawt
Naïve Unesco (Musics and Musicians of the World) D 8273

Contents:

  1. Abdallah Mohammad ba Hassan / Sultan bin Sheikh Ali bin Harhara: Hadramî khayyâli - awwâdi: Atâha rasûli "My messenger came to her" (singer & ûd - Mohammed bin Shamikh, darbuka)
  2. Haddad bin Hassan al Kaf / Said Mbarek Marzuk: Dân tarab: Hayya layâli jamîla "Oh, beautiful nights" (singer - Hussein Abdul Kadir al Kaf)
  3. Mohammed bin Naser al Qu'aiti / Anon: Dân jammâla "Dân of the camel drivers" (singer - Hangil)
  4. Various / Anon., Sufi: Tahwîda, khuwaîb "Pilgrimage songs" (singer - Salim Rijab al-Tahhan)
  5. Nasir Yeslem bin Nasir, Hassan Abdallah ba Hartha, Ja'far Mohammed al Sakkaf / Ali 'Ubaid ba Seif (mediator): Jalsat dân "Dân session" (excerpt; singer - Said 'Idha ba Hashwan)
  6. Hussein Mohammed al Bar / Omar Sawwad: Dân tarab: Ana wa Khillî trâdina "My love and I have made up" (singer & ûd - Mohammed bin Shamikh, darbuka, daff)
  7. Anon: Dân jammâlla "Dân of the camel drivers" (singer - Awadh bin Yaslam Barik)
  8. Said 'Ummair Ba Harish: Ghinâ' Banî Maghra "Song of Bânî Maghra" (singer - Salim Rijab al-Tahhan)
  9. Sheik Abdalla al Nakhibi / Anon: Tarhîb: Bushrâk hâdha-l yaumu îd "Today is a feast day" (singer & ûd - Mohammed bin Shamikh, darbuka, daff)
  10. Haidar Agha, or Khamis Kindi / Anon., or Mohammed Juma Khan: Dân tarab: Khallî ashuf waddak yâ danîn "Show me tenderness" (singer & ûd - Saleh ba 'Issa, darbuka, daff)

Playing time: 60'12"

Recording dates: March 1990 (tracks #1,2,5-7), January 1995 (tracks #3,4,8), December 1985 (tracks #9,10)

Here the combination of singers and larger cast of accompanists does not detract from what is a characteristically Yemeni style of sung poetry. The program also highlights the dân form, a highly developed poetic-improvisational form of the region.

This repertory is unusual in that composers & poets are both often preserved and attributed (given as poet / composer above). There are often backing musicians in these performances which are not named.

This recording continues to be compelling.

Another anthology devoted to the related, but more worldly Aden repertory:

Yémen - La chanson d'Aden
M.M. Naji / K.M. Khalil
Institut du Monde Arabe 321047

To purchasing information for this disc.

To Yemen list.

T. M. McComb